Remnant
by tideofglory
Summary: Remnant is a world with great beauty and horror in equal measure. A few small, honest souls will fight for that world.
1. Rising Heroes

PATCH FOREST: 5 MONTHS BEFORE BEACON ORIENTATION:

Ruby Rose turned from her mother's grave and wandered into the woods. As she began to approach a clearing, she vanished in a flurry of petals and reappeared in the branches of a tree. A glance through her rifle's scope showed a dozen Beowolves in the clearing ahead. She drew Crescent Rose up to her eye, took aim, and fired. The shot immediately struck one of the Beowolves in the face, shattering its skull. She killed two more before the pack could react and reach her. Before she could kill a fourth, she burst into a flurry of roses as another attempted a slash at her. She reappeared above the creature, bringing Crescent Rose's blade down in a whirlwind, bisecting her opponent.

As she came back down to earth, she felt a trio of claws rake against her aura, and quickly kicked against the enemies to get away. She weaved through the enemies, using her semblance and natural speed to weave through the enemies, cutting through five more enemies.

She turned back to find herself facing against the three remaining Beowolves. She quickly glanced at her aura meter on her arm. She'd avoided most of the enemy's attacks, but she'd taken 11 more hits and used enough of her semblance that her aura was now orange.

"Let's try it."

She quickly swapped to gravity dust and fired Crescent rose behind her, sending her flying towards the wolves like a whirlwind. She managed to cleave her way through two enemies but was distracted when the last had the intelligence to leap over her. She yelped as she suddenly impacted with a tree trunk and fell on her back in a daze. As the remaining Beowolf approached her fallen form, it was startled when Ruby suddenly shoved Crescent Rose's barrel into its jaw and fired.

Ruby groaned and rubbed her forehead as a chuckling figure dropped down from another tree. Qrow Branwen took a sip from his flask as his niece stumbled to her feet. "Gravity dust is useful, but I'd recommend practicing in more open spaces until you can brake and change directions. You almost dropped into the red with that stunt."

"Uncle Qrow!" The girl cheered at the sight of her mentor.

The man embraced her fondly then pulled her back, turning serious. "Pretty sure this is a Level 4 Hunting Zone kid. You need to be at least a Primary School Fourth Year or have four of your classmates with you."

Ruby grew sheepish. "I thought it was a Level Three Zone."

Qrow held up his scroll. It tracked them and showed that their current location was a Level Four Zone.

"It was Level Three yesterday."

Qrow shook his head, "So Level Three. You're not a Third Year yet. You need at least one classmate."

"Level Two is too easy!" Ruby whined. "I barely break a sweat out there. Even Level Three's getting boring."

"Well, why don't you get a party together? Work on being part of a team?"

Ruby hanged her head sadly, "No one in my class will work with me. They say I take this too seriously."

Qrow sighed sympathetically. He could see that. He'd tried teaching for a time but had gotten sick of the growing apathy among the student body. Peacetime was making them soft. He dreaded what would happen to this current generation if this current crisis continued.

"Well, they'll have to take things more seriously in Beacon, or they won't get very far."

"So, I have to wait two years before anyone will work with me?" The anxious girl groaned.

* * *

SDC WEAPONS TESTING SITE: 4 MONTHS BEFORE BEACON ORIENTATION

Weiss Schnee tried hard not to glare at her father.

"I don't understand why you insist on attending the huntsmen academies at all, Weiss. The profession of huntsmen will soon be rendered obsolete by the Schnee Dust Companies weapons division."

"General Ironwood disagrees," Weiss responded with her head bowed. "He insists that huntsmen will always be necessary. And as long as there have been Huntsmen, the Schnee's have been a part of their ranks. Even before we made our fortune, we were huntsmen."

Jacques glared at her logic, but she hadn't technically said anything wrong.

"Then you won't mind demonstrating the power of a huntress for us?" He gestured towards the suit of armor in the chamber ahead of her.

"That armor is possessed by a Giest Grimm. They are the litmus test for our advanced weapons division. Only our spider droids have been successful in defeating them."

He turned to her with a smirk. "If you can destroy it before it can kill you, I will consider your point proven and allow you to attend the academy of your choice."

Weiss clenched her fists. She'd already received acceptance letters from all four Huntsmen academies.

But she couldn't risk upsetting her father.

Weiss backflipped away as the Gigas swung, then lunged, striking the armor and landing behind the creature. The creature brought it's sword around again, but Weiss leaped over it and landed three more blows. The armor swung again, and she blocked the brunt with Myrtenaster, though the sword struck her shoulder and rove her back. She dodged as it brought it's sword down in an overhead swing and prepared another rush, but the enemy caught her off guard when it got the blade around in another swing, striking her right side.

Weiss summoned a White Glyph at her feet and shot forward, creating five more white glyphs, landing six blows on her enemy. Her seventh blow halted when she leaped over another swing, but an armored fist to her face ended her assault. Her aura flickered, and blood fell down the right side of her face. She quickly checked her aura. It had barely entered the red.

Weiss shook herself and switched to fire dust. When the Giest swung for her again, she channeled the dust into a black glyph, and the recoil drove the enemy back further. A quick switch to ice dust allowed her to freeze the ground beneath the Gigas, halting its feet. Despite its immobility, the Giest swung again, and she leaped onto its sword, before switching to lightning dust and struck the armor's wrist, the force and shock making it drop its blade, which shattered when it met the ground.

Weiss summoned a white Glyph beneath the Geist's feet and launched it into the air. She then held it in place with Black glyphs and threw herself into it with one more White Glyph, shattering it.

Weiss looked up to the observation chamber where her father scowled down. She curtsied and exited.

* * *

FOREVER FALL: 6 MONTHS BEFORE BEACON ORIENTATION

Blake stared down at the objects she held. In her right hand was a black bow. In her left was a Grimm mask.

"Blake. It's time." She quickly stuffed the bow in her pocket and turned towards the voice.

She nodded at Adam. "Okay."

She put on the mask and followed.

The infiltration of the train was easy, though as the two entered, they found themselves surrounded by about three dozen AK130s.

INTRUDER: IDENTIFY YOURSELF

Adam smirked and fired Wilt from Blush into the droid that spoke, then rushed forward and seized the blade, cutting down the stunned droid. Blake created a shadow-clone to distract the pair of blade-armed droids that had tried to sneak up behind her and landed behind them, shooting one in the back. She cut through the second that had attacked her, then ran forward and cut down a droid that was coming at Adam from behind. Another opened fire on Adam, and he quickly deflected the blows while Blake rushed it. She deflected all but three shots and decapitated the droid.

She bisected another and cut the legs out from under another, plunging her blade into its chrome. She then drew both her sword and sheath to deflect a blade-wielding droid, before she swept its legs and dropped both her blade's into its torso. She flinched as a flurry of eight bullets struck her in the back, and she drove away. She rounded on five more droids. She charged through the hail, taking four more hits before she cut her way through two more of them with her dual wields. The remaining three drew their blades, and she switched to her Kusarigama mode, deflecting attacks with her sheath and creating distance. She wrapped one in her Kusarigama and pulled it into a decapitation. She then switched back to her sword mode and cut the remaining two down with ease.

"Well done." Adam smiled fondly at her, having dispatched the rest of the droids with ease.

Blake could practically feel the pride that she knew was showing behind that mask. She shoved down the guilt that came with that feeling.

The two moved to the next car, which was full of dust.

"Perfect. Move on to the next car and prepare to disconnect this one. I'll set the charges."

Blake panicked. "What about the crew?"

Adam shrugged, "What about them?"

Blake considered answering but stopped when a form dropped down behind Adam.

The Spider droid fired on the duo. Adam quickly deflected the blows while Blake charged it.

"Blake, wait!"

Blake landed one hit before she was struck by the droids head and driven to the ground, her aura flickering. Adam kept it from crushing her with two swift blows to its legs, knocking it back slightly. He turned to retrieve Blake, taking an impact on the back as he scooped her up and ran.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded quickly as the machine combined its guns into a massive cannon and fired on the pair. They dove out of the way and then ran through the hole the beam made to get out in the open, Adam firing two shots behind them. The Spider Droid was right on top of them.

"I'll buy time!"

Blake avoided a flurry of bullets as she got in front of the enemy, and then evaded another attack with her semblance, striking from above with Gambol Shroud's kusarigama form.

As she came down, she hooked her sheath blade into the droids head and unloaded several shots into the droid at point-blank range before the droid shook her off, knocking out her aura.

"Ready!" Adam called, and Blake retreated.

The droid fired another beam, and Adam deflected it with Wilt.

Once the beam dissipated, Adam chuckled and rushed, disintegrating the droid with a single swing.

Adam turned around as the foe fell. "Blake?"

"Freeze!

Suddenly, a dozen Atlas soldiers emerged from behind the crates, accompanied by what looked like an Atlas Specialist.

"Blake?!" Adam looked around frantically for his partner.

"Where's his partner?" the Specialist asked.

"She jumped off the train, sir! I think she may have been the one who tipped us off!"

"BLAKE!"

"I said freeze!"

* * *

Blake watched the train speed off into the distance as she tied the bow to conceal her ears and removed her White Fang uniform for the new outfit underneath.

"Goodbye."

* * *

DOWNTOWN VALE: THE NIGHT BEFORE BEACON ORIENTATION

Yang strutted into the club with a shake of her hips. She did her best to look like she belonged. This ba was a little more extreme and adult than her usual scene, but not by much. She spotted her target at the bar, ending and argument with a red-haired man wearing a bowler hat, who walked away with a dozen of Junior's men, leaving Junior sulking at the bar.

"That should make this easier," Yang muttered.

Yang walked up to the bar, right next to Junior, turning on her girliest charms. "Strawberry sunrise, no ice. Oh! And one of those little umbrellas!"

Junior looked down at her, taking in her figure.

"Aren't you a little young to be in this club, blondie."

Yang tilted her head, innocently. "Aren't you a little old to have a name like Junior?"

Junior smirked lecherously and began playing with a lock of Yang's long blonde hair. "So you know who I am. You got a name, sweetheart?"

Yang fought a shudder as the man toyed with her hair and moved in closer. "Yes, Junior, I've got several. But instead of sweetheart, you can just call me _sir_."

Yang grabbed Junior by the balls and squeezed.

"People say you know everything." She growled at him, dropping the cutesy teenager facade and holding up her scroll. "Tell me where I can find her, and I'll let you go."

"I've never seen her before, I swear!" Junior squeaked out in pain.

"Excuse me?!" Yang clenched harder.

"I only know what goes on in Vale! If I don't know her, it's because you're looking in the wrong kingdom!"

Yang looked to the side as Junior's three remaining goons approached, halting when Junior held up a hand.

"Looks like we have an audience. Must be kind of embarrassing for you." Yang held on a little longer, to see if she could get any last bits of information.

Junior glared at her and spoke as fiercely as he could under the circumstances. "Listen, blondie. If you want to make it out of this club alive, I suggest you let me go. Now!"

Yang relented and released him. He quickly stumbled away, and Yang found herself surrounded by his men. They had no intention of letting her leave.

Yang turned the charm back on and bounced after him with her arms behind her back, trying to accentuate her cleavage. "Oh, Junior, I was just playing with you! Come on, let's kiss and make up!"

"Huh?" Junior regarded the innocent look in her eyes, and then shrugged, deciding to risk it. "Okay."

He leaned in for a kiss, and instead found his face meeting Yang's fist.

As Junior flew, Yang turned to the approaching thugs. Yang performed a somersault kick on the nearest man, then uppercutted another. The third man managed to hit her, and she delivered several quick hooks to him, breaking his aura.

She used the recoil of Ember Celica to drive her elbow into one of the men rising behind her but took another hit from the third man, who she quickly knocked out with a fist to the face.

She flinched as a flurry of blows struck against her aura and turned back to see the DJ firing on her. She shielded her arms and rushed, pushing through the hail, and leaped up to his booth. She seized the man and smashed his face into his turntable, then struck two blows to his stomach, before hurling him out of the booth, to the feet of two girls in white and red.

"Melanie, who is this girl?"

"I don't know Militia, but we should teach her a lesson."

Yang leaped from the booth and fired on the two sisters on the way down. The girls backflipped away and then rushed her from opposite sides as she kept firing. Her attention was on Melanie until Militia's claws struck her back. She tried to retaliate, only to feel a bladed heel hit her. She used Ember Celica's recoil to launch herself back and create distance between herself and the sisters. Two sisters followed, and Yang fired a quick blow to Melanie, and a swift kick to her abdomen, driving her away. She backed up as she took three more hits from Militia, and struck an uppercut into her stomach, followed by two quick right hooks, and then tossed the girl through a glass pillar, breaking her aura.

She didn't have time for celebration as Melanie leaped forward to avenge her sister. Yang blocked the flurry of kicks, wincing as three got through until she spotted an opening and dove through it. She elbowed Melanie in the stomach, seizing her hand to pull her off balance, and brought her boot down in a swift blow, knocking her to the ground, knocking her unconscious.

Yang looked for another opponent, only to find a mighty bat knock her breath out. Junior seized her by the hair and dragged her to her knees.

"You're gonna pay for this." He brought the bat into her face, tearing out a handful of her hair.

Yang crawled to her feet and glared at the man admiring the golden locks in his fist. Her eyes burned red, her hair glowed, and an explosion went off behind her. She rushed the man with a flurry of blows before finally shattering his aura and her own with a mighty right, which sent him out into the street.

Yang breathed deeply as her opponent lay beaten and prepared to leave until the street erupted in sirens and cop lights.

"Don't move! You're under arrest!"

Yang groaned when she realized the command was for her, not Junior.

"Dad's gonna kill me." She moaned as she unhooked Ember Celica and knelt on the ground, placing her hands behind her head.

* * *

SIGNAL ACADEMY: 4 MONTHS BEFORE BEACON ORIENTATION

Blake glanced at the blonde boy next to her. Blake's annoyance wasn't so much the way he was shaking his legs in anticipation. It made sense for most test-takers.

But what did _this_ guy have to worry about?

Nobody seemed to recognize the blonde boy (he'd probably been apprenticed with a professional huntsman rather than attend any of the primary combat academies). Still, he'd been one of the standouts. He'd walked in full of bravado, which most assumed was unearned, until he easily passed the essential fitness portion of the exams, placing in the top three of every category, while wearing his combat uniform, which consisted of a breastplate and shoulder pauldrons. He made Blake feel a little out of shape.

He'd then breezed through the written exams. He hadn't finished the test early because he was cocky or arrogant. Blake observed that he had the confidence of someone who knew the answers. He'd even had time to double-check his work.

All he had left was the combat exam. Even if he lost, he'd have to be abysmal not to be accepted into an academy. But as soon as he entered the waiting area, the confident, grinning dork vanished, and this shaking wreck took his place.

* * *

"Back again, eh?" Jaune paled as he recognized that voice. He looked to the exam proctors and immediately recognized the tall militant man in the middle from four years ago.

Things had been going very similarly to today. Jaune had easily aced the physical exam and the written exam, and he'd hoped that that would be enough to make up for his clumsy self-taught fighting style.

He'd only lasted 15 seconds before the proctor called the match to a close. Jaune had begged the man for another chance. He swore to work hard in Signal, to learn how to fight. He'd asked the man if HE could unlock his aura. But the proctor had shouted him down.

_"What are you thinking of coming in here without any aura or training?! A clumsy kid like you will just get himself killed! Get out of here and stop wasting time on this pipe dream of yours!"_

That same man now regarded Jaune with recognition but didn't say anything.

"Alright," Said another proctor, "Mr. Arc and Mr. Ren, don't worry about winning; just show us what you can do."

Jaune regarded his opponent, a boy about his age, with long black hair. The boy met Jaune's look, and the two nodded politely to one another.

"You may begin when you're ready."

The two prepared, but Ren raised a brow as Jaune approached. "Are you forgetting something?"

"Nope."

Jaune swung for his opponent, who deftly deflected with the blades of his guns, but was surprised when the swing powered through and struck his shoulder. Ren backed away with a soft nod of appreciation. Even without aura, his opponent had plenty of power. Ren circled his opponent, who tried to keep his shield between himself and Ren. Ren suddenly dropped and swept Jaune's legs. Jaune quickly tossed his sword away to not fall on it himself and rolled to his feet. Ren promptly placed himself between Jaune and his sword; his guns aimed for him. Jaune feinted slightly to the left, and Ren's left gun fired inches past his left leg while the right remained stationary. Jaune feinted to the right, and the right gun fired while the left remained. Jaune glanced over at the proctors, half expecting them to call the fight. Without aura, one bullet would be enough to kill him.

The match hadn't ended, so Jaune went for it. He crouched as low as he could, raised his shield to cover his face, and rushed his opponent, who quickly leaped over him. Jaune retrieved Crocea Mors and turned, swinging and catching Ren in the chest. Ren recovered before Jaune could swing again and delivered a brutal kick to the side of Jaune's head, cutting him just above the eye.

"Stop."

Jaune felt his heartbreak at the command. He looked at the proctors, fighting the tears that began to fill them. The militant was on his feet and approaching. It was over.

"I'm sorry for wasting your time." Jaune quickly bowed and ran out of the room; keeping is head low so no one would see him cry.

"Hey! Get back here!"

Jaune kept running. He didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to be yelled at again. He didn't need to hear that he'd wasted 12 years of his life. He already knew that.

* * *

"So, you can't try again next year?" Saphron Cotta-Arc tried desperately to find a solution for her distraught little brother.

"This was my last chance. It's over." Jaune said into his scroll.

"Maybe not." Another voice came over the scroll.

"Is that Terra?"

"Hey, Jaune." Terra's voice came through more clearly. "I might have a way to get you in."

He sat up straighter. "What is it?"

"This is dangerous and illegal, Jaune. Are you sure you want this?"

Jaune didn't hesitate. "Tell me."

* * *

Jaune's acceptance letter from Beacon came a month later. It should've been the happiest moment of his life.

He barely glanced at it before heading back out to train.

* * *

**I know, right? A rewrite of a rewrite while the first rewrite's still being written? That's like, two rewrites. But something I learned in school is that great stories aren't written, they're rewritten, and when you have ideas, you can't help but want to put them down. And I'm still going to finish 20-20. Just think of this as the extended-unlimited-budget edition of RWBY 20-20. (This means I won't be skipping through preexisting scenes, though I will try to put my own spin on the writing). As long as I'm having fun, right?**

**Also, I'm not going to be doing any AN's explaining my thought process. Unless I'm asked to do so, so feel free to ask questions in reviews. Also, let me know what you thought of the fights. I'd love some tips and advice on how to improve my writing in those areas.**


	2. Ruby Rose

**Hope you guys enjoy, please R&R and leave likes, observations, and questions. Let me know what you thought of the fight and dialogue. Those are the main areas in which I'm trying to improve.**

**Oh, and I made some changes to the fights in Chapter 1. Feel free to check those out if you like.**

**Spiderplant765: Yeah, I hate those fics too. I believe 90% of RWBY's characters and plot are OK conceptually. This fic and RWBY: 20-20 are just me identifying the issues in execution, deciding that MOST of them are worth fixing, and fixing them rather than simply throwing the babies out with the bathwater and replacing them with my completely unnecessary OC's. And in the case of Jaune (and JNPR in general), I think the solution is actually to embrace him as the 5****th**** main character, or at least deuteragonist. Hence why I showcased his backstory alongside Team RWBY's.**

* * *

Legends. Stories scattered through time. Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that we are remnants, byproducts, of a forgotten past.

Man was born into an unforgiving world. Creatures of destruction — the creatures of Grimm - set their sights on Man from the moment of his creation, and so the Gods gave man four gifts to survive. Creation, Destruction, Knowledge, and Choice were the tools that gave man the ability to survive and eventually flourish.

In time, man discovered additional means to even the odds, Aura, Semblance, and Dust. With these powers in hand, Man lit their way through the darkness, and in the shadow's absence came strength, civilization, and, most importantly, life.

But even the most brilliant lights eventually flicker and die. And when they are gone... darkness will return. So you may prepare your guardians, build your monuments to a so-called "free world," but take heed... there will be no victory in strength.

But perhaps victory is in the simpler things that you've long forgotten. Things that require a smaller, more honest soul.

* * *

Roman Torchwick approached the Dust Shop with his 12 men trailing behind. Well, Junior's men. Roman would have rather had Neo by his side instead of these… to call them bouncers would've been giving them too much credit. Roman had hoped to recruit the Malachites and maybe four of these mooks, but Junior had refused, saying the twins were too recognizable, so Roman decided a dozen men would be an acceptable trade. If only Neo weren't in Mistral running errands for his employer.

Roman shook off the concerns. All he needed was for these men to look intimidating and carry the dust for him. There shouldn't be any reason for the men to fight.

He left two men with semi-automatics at the entrance to the dust shop, while he and the other ten spread around the shop.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a dust shop open at this time of night?"

The old man's hands were in the air before a tugs gun was even in his face. "Please! Just take my lien and leave."

Roman shushed the man gently. "Settle down; we're not here for your money."

He then quickly turned to his men, "Grab the dust."

Roman went over to examine some crystals while the men began ransacking the shop.

* * *

Ruby Rose. Was. Bored.

Her uncle was on a mission, so training had grown stale, she'd already finished her homework from Signal and even had Yang, and her dad proofread it. Nobody wanted to spar with her; Crescent Rose didn't need any repairs or polishing. Even though she could now legally hunt in Zone 3, that too had grown too easy for her. She was bored of Beowolves, Ursa, and even the occasional Boarbatusks.

Desperate for something to do, Ruby had wandered into Vale and entered the only dust shop she knew to be open at this time, hoping to find some manner of inspiration for her weapon. Unfortunately, even that had yet to yield results, much to Ruby's frustration as she rifled through the last magazine the shop had, her headphones drowning out any noise.

Ruby was suddenly pulled from her thoughts when a hand seized her shoulder and forced her to face a man in red sunglasses.

"Yes?"

"I said, put your hands in the air, now!"

"Waaaiit, are you the ones who've been robbing all the dust stores lately?"

"Yes!"

"Ooohhh…"

Despite her calm demeanor, Ruby was screaming for joy on the inside.

Ruby delivered a quick kick to the man's gut, sending him sprawling across the floor.

"You jerks are the reason I can barely afford a magazine of gravity dust!" the small girl griped with righteous fury.

The man rose to his feet, brandishing his sword. A gunshot rang out and struck Ruby's aura, but she dodged a second with her semblance, and a flurry of petals charged the man with the sword, driving him through the window, breaking his aura.

The two men at the door jumped as the girl emerged, drawing Crescent Rose's scythe form. The two men emptied their magazines at the girl, who dodged most of the bullets with her semblance and natural speed. When the magazines ran out, four more men emerged from the shop and rushed the girl, while two more gunmen joined the two at the door, looking for their shots.

Roman Torchwick emerged from the shop, flanked by the remaining three men carrying axes. Ruby quickly dispatched the last man with a sword, before taking a blow from a club. Ruby created some distance before two more bullets struck her. Deciding the gunmen were the primary threat, Ruby used her semblance to rush them, only taking one more bullet before she dispatched the four men.

She quickly glanced at her enemies. She now had three men with clubs approaching, three men with axes guarding the boss, and the boss himself. She'd taken 11 hits total, and her aura was in the red. She could maybe take three more blows if she didn't use her semblance again.

She bounced in both nervousness and exhilaration.

The three clubmen rushed her as Roman turned to the three men surrounding him.

"Get her."

Ruby dispatched one of the clubmen before he could close on her, then tripped another, bringing the blunt end of crescent rose down on him, knocking the wind out of him and breaking his aura. A club struck her, and she danced away. A shot of gravity dust fired behind her launched Ruby into the approaching ax men, scattering them like bowling pins. The last man struck her one more time before she sent him flying to his boss's feet, his aura breaking as he fell.

"You were worth every cent, truly you were."

Roman observed the girl with a look of annoyance. "Well, Red, I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening, and as much as I'd love to stick around... I'm afraid this is where we part ways."

He fired an explosive blast at the girl's feet, and then used his warp semblance to be at the rendezvous building and halfway up the ladder in an instant. As he rushed towards the edge of the building, he heard the sound of a gunshot on the street below, followed by boots hitting the roof.

"HEY!"

Torchwick couldn't help but smirk and mutter "persistent" as the bullhead piloted by his employer arrived.

As the ship ascended, Roman decided to send the girl a parting gift in the form of a dust crystal.

"End of the line, Red!"

Ruby could barely register the dust crystal at her feet before hearing a shot fire at the object. The girl winced, bracing for the flames.

Looking up, the girl saw a blonde-haired woman holding back the explosion. She briefly glanced at Ruby, then waved her riding crop, gently sending Ruby to cover behind one of the roof's skylights.

Ruby looked on in awe as a woman in red with a shadowed face stepped out to the deck of the bullhead and threw fire at the blonde woman. The blonde waved her crop again, and rubble lifted from the ground to meet the wave of fire, dispersing it. The debris continued to move towards the ship, but the Woman in Red pointed, and lightning shot at the blonde woman, breaking her concentration and making her drop the debris.

Ruby emerged from her cover and began firing at the woman with crescent Rose. The woman held her hand out and blocked each shot before another flame shot at the girl. The blonde woman once again tossed the girl aside, dodging herself as the bullhead retreated.

The blonde woman scowled after the ship.

"You're a huntress!" The woman looked down at the wide-eyed girl next to her. "Can I have your autograph!"

* * *

Glynda Goodwitch glared furiously at the sheepish girl on the other side of the glass.

"I had her Ozpin! I had the False Maiden until that girl got in the way!"

The figure in the back responded calmly, "She was only trying to help. And had it not been for her, we'd have never known that the False Maiden is behind the Dust robberies."

"She still shouldn't have gotten involved! She's only 15! She's not cleared for that kind of action! Or that weapon!"

"True," The man conceded "it seems that she's caused quite a few disturbances around Signal. Never anything this serious before, usually just a disregard for her personal safety. Her teachers warned her multiple times against hunting outside of areas designated for her clearance. And apparently, she constructed that weapon as a side project with the promise never to use it."

"Well, clearly, those warnings fell on deaf ears! And you want to reward that behavior?!"

"She's bored, Glynda." Ozpin chuckled. "She's ahead of her class, and she needs an outlet."

Glynda looked at the child on the other side of the glass, and her eyes softened. "It's true she's talented… But she's not ready for Beacon. Emotionally, academically, or physically."

Ozpin frowned at that, "No one's ready for what may be coming. Accelerating her learning is the best chance of ensuring her survival."

* * *

"Ruby Rose!"

Ruby looked up anxiously as the woman from earlier entered, trailed by a grey-haired he approached he leaned in and looked directly into her eyes.

"You… have Silver Eyes."

Ruby had no clue how to respond to that observation.

"So! Where did you learn to do this?" He gestured to scroll footage of Ruby battling the robbers.

"S-Signal Academy."

"They taught you to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?"

Ruby began to panic, "Well, one teacher in particular."

"I see…" Ozpin decided a carrot was necessary and slid a plate of cookies to the girl, and it wasn't long before half of the dish was empty.

"It's just that I've only seen one other scythe-wielder of that skill before. A dusty, old crow…"

"Oh! That's my uncle!" Ruby mumbled through her full mouth. "Sorry. That's my Uncle Qrow! He's a teacher at Signal. I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing. And now, I'm all like— Hooowaaah! Witchaaaa!" The girl waved her arms about in a bright display.

Ozpin smiled, "So I've noticed."

Glynda meanwhile rolled her eyes at the news. "Of course it was Qrow," she muttered.

Ozpin ignored her and continued, "And what is an adorable girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors?"

Ruby continued to beam. "Well... I want to be a Huntress."

Ozpin raised his brow. "You want to slay monsters?"

"Yeah! I only have two more years of training left at Signal!" Ruby said, growing more excited by the second. "And then I'm going to apply to Beacon! You see, my sister's starting there this year, and she's trying to become a Huntress, and I'm trying to become a Huntress 'cause I wanna help people. My parents always taught us to help others, so I thought, Hey, I might as well make a career out of it! I mean, the police are alright, but Huntsmen and Huntresses are just so much more romantic and exciting and coolandreallygosh, you know!"

Glynda groaned in frustration, "Is this all a game or a fairytale to you?! Do you even understand what it is that huntsmen and huntresses do?"

"They defend and temper humanity and the four gifts of creation, destruction, knowledge, and choice." Ruby recited as if she'd heard it a million times.

Ozpin gave an amused chuckle. "I take it your uncle has hammered that into your head over the years."

Ruby nodded, "Basically, they protect and help people against Grimm and criminals however they can. Some of them work for kingdoms in militaries. Some of them work outside of kingdoms as law enforcement, and some just work freelance."

Ozpin continued to smile. "Do you know who I am?"

Ruby nodded, "You're Professor Ozpin. You're the headmaster at Beacon."

Ozpin smiled, "Hello."

"Nice to meet you."

"You want to come to my school?"

Ruby's eyes widened at this thought, "Right now?"

Ozpin nodded and slid a paper across the desk to her. An acceptance letter to Beacon, waiting for Ruby's signature.

"Think carefully about this decision." Glynda interjected, "You may be talented, but you will be surrounded by students that have two more years of physical and emotional preparation over you. Nobody will slow down for you. You will have to learn fast or get left behind."

Ruby hesitated only for a moment before she picked up the pen and signed it.

No sooner had she finished when the door banged open, and Taiyang Xiao Long rushed in, "Ruby! I heard what happened! Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine, dad." Ruby groaned as her dad examined her for injuries.

"She handled herself very well, Tai, even if she needed some help from Glynda near the end."

Tai looked at the other two people in the room, then noticed the paper in front of Ruby. He stood between his daughter and the headmaster.

"What are you doing here, Oz?"

"I was discussing an opportunity with your daughter here."

Ruby grabbed her father's arm excitedly. "They're going to let me come to Beacon this year, dad!"

The girl flinched as her father looked down at her and the acceptance papers in horror. He then rounded on Ozpin.

"Outside."

"Tai…"

Tai seized the man's arm and dragged him into the hall, Goodwitch hurrying after the two.

"I don't know what you're up to, but you are not getting Ruby involved!"

"We're just trying to make sure all of that talent doesn't go to waste-"

"Bullshit!" Tai interrupted Ozpin furiously, "I admit she's ahead of the curve, but not by two years! Something big is coming, and you need another weapon."

Tai paused for a moment before leaning in. "She's on the move, isn't She?"

Ozpin looked around the hall quickly to make sure nobody else was around. "Fall was attacked. And thanks to your daughter, we know that her attacker is involved in these dust robberies."

Tai Yang turned back into the room, ignoring the rose petals that still fell from the floor between the door and her chair. "Ruby, I'm sorry, but you're not going to Beacon."

"What?!" The girl looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"I'll see about letting you skip to the fourth year or getting you an apprenticeship, but you are not ready for Beacon."

"Professor Ozpin says I am!"

"Well, I say you're not."

"Excuse me, sir, are you Taiyang Xiao Long?"

Tai turned to the nervous officer behind him, "Yes?"

"We have your daughter in holding." He noticed Tai's confused look back at Ruby, "Y-you're other daughter."

* * *

Yang looked sheepishly at her father as the officers opened her cell and began working at her cuffs while another officer explained the situation with him.

"Fortunately, the owner of the club she trashed isn't pressing any charges. Probably trying to avoid unwanted attention."

Tai continued to glare at his oldest daughter, and the officer made a feeble attempt at placating him. "For what it's worth if anyone had it coming-"

Tai turned his glare on the officer, who wisely shut his mouth and left along with the other officer, before turning back to Yang.

"What were you thinking?"

Yang's sheepishness turned to a glare. "I was looking for mom."

"And how were assault, destruction of property, and drinking supposed to help you find her?!"

"I wasn't drinking! The owner was getting handsy, so I defended myself!"

"Oh really, you walked into the shadiest club in Vale, and someone got handsy? You shouldn't have been there at all!"

"Dad, I'm gonna be a huntress soon, I can handle a few creeps."

Tai began to fume at that, and Yang glanced behind him to see her little sister quietly watching the exchange.

"What are you doing here, sis?"

"I helped stop a robbery, and Professor Ozpin wanted me to come to Beacon early, but…"

"She's not going." Tai turned to his daughters firmly, "Neither of you is."

"WHAT?!" Yang tried hard to keep the red out of her eyes.

"You heard me. Ruby is too young, and you are too irresponsible."

"You can't do that!"

"Of course, I can. I'm your father."

"Actually, you can't." Ozpin had arrived to hear that last part. "Both of your daughters have received letters of acceptance from Beacon, which makes them legal adults. Whether or not they come to Beacon or not is officially up to them."

Tai rounded on the man, "That's ridiculous!"

Ozpin shrugged, "It's the law. They've been determined mature enough to carry firearms and fight for the kingdoms, so they're mature enough to sign their own legally binding documents."

"Are you going to reward this behavior? Vigilantism, assault, destruction of property."

"Love you too, dad." Yang glared at her father.

"Miss Rose showed initiative and courage, protecting others. Those are valuable qualities in a huntress."

"Although she and Miss Xiao Long will both have to learn some discipline while they are under our roof." Glynda Goodwitch fixed both girls with a withering glare from behind Ozpin.

Tai felt his anger melt away into mortal terror. He turned to his daughters desperately, "Girls, listen to me. Ozpin just wants to use you. He only sees you as weapons in his idiotic wa-"

"Tai." Ozpin's voice remained even but had taken on a dangerous edge. "I understand your concern, but be very careful what you say, or I'll have to charge you with treason."

The desperate father had finally had enough and launched himself at the headmaster. A quick wave of Glynda's crop was the only thing that kept Tai's hands from reaching Ozpin's throat.

The struggling man's aura began to rise off him like flames, and his muscles began to strain. Glynda began to sweat as she struggled to hold her struggling target.

"YOU WON'T DRAG MY DAUGHTERS INTO THIS, YOU BASTARD! YOU WON'T USE THEM AS YOU USED ME!"

"Stop it!"

Tai froze as Ruby's voice rang out. He turned to see Yang shielding Ruby from him, while both girls looked at him in fear.

"Girls…"

"No one's dragging us into anything. This is what we've been training for." Ruby spoke firmly despite the fear in her eyes, "We're going, and you can't stop us."

Tai felt his heartbreak as his daughters glared at him.

"Is everything okay over here?" Several officers were approaching, looking ready to break up a fight.

"It's fine." Tai sighed resignedly, "I was just leaving."

"Dad…" Ruby reached out to her father, but he didn't even slow down.

Ozpin approached the girls calmly. "If you like, we can get the two of you a hotel for the night."

"Thanks." Yang nodded to the man.

"What was the war he was talking about?" Ruby looked to Ozpin with growing suspicion.

"The war with the Grimm." Ozpin answered simply, "Some feel it isn't a war worth fighting, but that only makes those who fight it all the more essential."

He smiled gently at Ruby. "Your mother believed that."

* * *

Ruby and Yang both lay awake in their hotel room.

"We're gonna have to wake up early so we can grab some things from home before we head to Beacon. We probably won't get there until late afternoon." Yang groaned.

"Dad's gonna be upset."

"Hey, we've been planning to be huntresses for years now. Dad's the one who taught me how to fight. He knew this day was coming."

"But he didn't know it was coming two years early." Yang conceded that point to her.

"Maybe I'm not ready."

"Ozpin wouldn't have invited you if you weren't."

"Maybe…" Ruby thought about her father's words, "But dad doesn't trust him."

"He and Ozpin don't get along." Yang said, "He encouraged me to go to Shade because he doesn't like Ozpin."

"Why not?"

"I don't know, bad history or something. Look, dad's just worried about us. And yeah, Beacon probably won't be easy for you. You're gonna have some catching up to do. But we're not little girls anymore. Things will be fine."

Ruby lay awake, pondering that as her sister drifted off to sleep. "But I am 15."

* * *

Taiyang groaned as he sat up from his spot on the bench. He'd arrived at the airship station too late to catch a ship back to Patch, and hadn't wanted to go to a hotel for fear of running into his daughters, so he'd made the stubborn decision to sleep on the uncomfortable benches at the station.

"Hey." Tai suddenly found a five lien bill being offered to him by a blonde boy in a hoody.

"Oh." Tai groaned when he realized how he must look to the well-meaning boy. "That's okay. I don't need any; I just couldn't get a flight on time."

"Why didn't you get a hotel?"

"I have my reasons, okay?"

"You're sure?"

"Yes. Thank you, but I'm good."

The boy shrugged and took a seat next to the man. Tai took a moment to observe the boy further. He wore a sword on his waist, and plate armor covered his chest and shoulders.

"You heading to Beacon? You're a little early."

The boy shrugged, "I was always told to show up early because checking bags takes awhile."

"Four hours?"

"And I wanted to avoid an awkward situation with my dad."

Tai raised a brow at that. "He doesn't approve?"

"He never said I couldn't, but he did everything he could to keep me away and discourage me."

"He was probably trying to protect you."

"I know."

"Huntsmen lead dangerous lives."

"I know."

"Even in peaceful times like this one in every five never live to retirement."

"I know. My dad likes to read casualty reports out loud every morning."

"You know those only cover half of the deaths-"

"Only the heroic sounding ones. They don't tell you about the really disturbing ones, or the ones that happened while the huntsman was doing something actually important."

The youth was now looking at Tai with a look of irritation. It was clear that he'd heard all of this before.

"Even if you survive, it takes a toll."

"Post-Traumatic Stress, night-terrors, injuries, and worse."

"Worse." Tai fixed the boy with a glare. "You try to settle down and start a family, but they keep asking for more. You give it because you've convinced yourself that the fight is worth fighting, even though you don't know what the fight is actually about. Then one day, you hurt the person who means the most to you beyond repair, and they leave. And you keep doing your best, until you think you can finally be happy with someone else, only for them to be taken from you. You get low. Life loses all joy for you. You forget to eat and sleep. Until one day, your best friend comes by to tell you that Grimm nearly ate your daughters while you were wallowing in self-pity. So you pull yourself together, and you try to be the father you're supposed to be for the last two people who matter to you, even though you know you'll lose them too one day, leaving you with nothing."

The boy met Tai's gaze. "Or maybe I'll retire and start a family, trying to get back to a normal life, despite the nightmares that won't let me forget the horrors I witnessed. Then one night, my seven-year-old son hears me cry out and runs in to wake me because my wife left the bedroom door unlocked while checking the baby. He tries to shake me awake, and next thing he knows, my hands are around his neck because I'm back in the war, fighting for my life, fighting to get back to the person I'm currently killing. My two eldest daughters run in to stop me, the oldest trying to pry my fingers away while the second oldest starts hitting me in the face with my alarm clock. And just when his eyes are about to pop from their sockets, my wife runs in and finally slaps me awake. Then he wakes up in the hospital to see his pregnant mother at his hospital bed crying because her son nearly died in her arms, and her husband's checked himself into rehab for at least a year."

Tai looked away from the boy's glare. "What if I told you it's about to get worse?"

The boy looked at him in concern. "Like what? War?"

"Maybe. Maybe just disaster. Maybe monster's worse than Grimm will begin destroying everything around them for their perverse objectives. Maybe the kingdoms will be shaken to their very core. Maybe the world you knew will become completely unfamiliar to you. Maybe the death toll will rise. Maybe every day will be a struggle for survival."

"Or maybe we'll all just be wiped off the face of the planet."

The boy looked down and began thinking. The two sat in silence for several minutes, and Tai started to believe he'd saved the boy's life until he spoke.

"Then, I have to go."

The boy turned back to him, looking more determined than ever. "I have a family to protect. If something like that's going to happen, then someone needs to stop it or at least keep it from hurting them. And if that person isn't me, then who's it going to be?"

He then chuckled slightly. "Besides, if it got that bad, I'd probably already be involved, so I might as well prepare for it."

Tai looked at the boy. "Nothing's gonna stop you, is it?"

The boy smiled, "Nope."

Tai stood as the next flight to Patch was announced and shook the young man's hand. "Thank you."

The boy took the hand, then leaned in. "All that stuff you said. Is it really going to get worse?"

Tai hesitated for a moment, "I don't know. But I believe in preparing for the worst and hoping for the best."

* * *

Ruby and Yang were both shocked to see Taiyang waiting for them at the airship station. He was trying his hardest not to cry.

"I packed some of your things and checked them for you. I'll send the rest to Beacon when you get the chance."

Ruby swallowed a lump in her throat and approached her father. "Dad, if you don't want me to go, I won't. I can wait two more years if you think that's what's best."

Tai hugged her tightly, forcing back sobs. "I _really_ don't want you to go. But I think you have to. I'll tell you why someday."

"Why do you hate Ozpin? Is he a bad person?"

Taiyang thought for a moment. "He means well and does what he thinks is best for Remnant. But I don't think he's as effective as he claims to be, and he keeps a lot of secrets. And he tends to believe that the ends justify the means."

He smiled gently at Ruby's confused look, "Just… think for yourself and don't take his word as law. Do what you think is right, even if he disagrees."

The girl nodded and hugged him tightly. As the two separated, Yang approached and hugged him.

"I'm sorry for trashing that club. But they did have it coming."

"I'm sure they did." He chuckled then pulled away slightly. "I'm sorry for not telling you more about your mom."

"I know it's a painful subject for you."

"But you deserve to know. So I'll make you a deal. Take care of Ruby, help her get through this first year in one piece, and I'll tell you about her."

"I may not be on her team."

"That's fine. She needs to break out of her shell. But help her get a good team. One that has her back."

Yang nodded, "I promise. She'll be great."

They hugged one more time, and he continued to wave as they headed onto the ship.

"So those are your daughters, huh?" Tai turned to see the boy in the hoody behind him and nodded.

"Ruby's only 15."

The boy nodded, "This must be hard for you."

Tai nodded sadly. "Keep an eye on them for me, will ya."

The boy smiled and nodded as he headed towards the ship.

"But not too close. I know your folks Jaune Arc!"

The boy was so surprised to hear his name he missed the door of the ship and collided with the side, drawing several snickers from observers.

* * *

"Look! You can even see Patch from up here!" Ruby looked out excitedly at the landscape beneath them as they approached Beacon Academy. "Guess home isn't too far after all."

Yang put an arm around her shoulder. "We'll visit dad whenever we get the chance. That's why I chose Beacon instead of Shade."

The two turned as they heard a gagging sound behind them and saw a blonde boy in a hoody turning ever greener and tightening his lips.

"Guess the view isn't for everyone." Yang chuckled.

"Hope Vomit Boy can make it until we land."

Yang stifled a laugh but nudged her, "Be nice. That might be your future partner."


	3. The Shining Beacon

**Enjoy, R&R. Suggestions and thoughts welcome.**

* * *

As the unfortunate blonde boy emptied the contents of his stomach into a trashcan outside the airship, Ruby and Yang looked up in awe at Beacon academy. The large spire of Beacon tower was even more massive up close than in Vale. The courtyard around the spire was enormous, with pavilions, greenhouses, and sprawling areas that looked like no student could fully explore them in four years.

As Yang tore her gaze away from the landscape before her, she noticed that Ruby was practically drooling as she stared at the weapons being carried by their future classmates, drawing uncomfortable looks from the owners.

"Easy there, little sister, they're just weapons."

"Just weapons?!" Ruby turned to Yang as if offended, "They're extensions of ourselves! They're so cool!"

"Well, why don't you go up and ask some of them about their weapons?"

Ruby began to shuffle awkwardly at the suggestion.

"You're gonna have to make some new friends while you're here."

Ruby turned to her, hopefully, "But, why would I need friends when I have you?"

Yang groaned internally and turned to a nearby group of students she recognized from Signal.

"ActuallymyfriendsareoverthereGottagocatchupKayseeyabye!" She seized two members of the group and rushed off towards the academy.

"Wait, where are you going?! Are we supposed to go to our dorms? Where are our dorms? Do we have dorms?" Ruby groaned as Yang disappeared. "I don't know what I'm doing..."

She was so absorbed in her misery; she didn't see the cart full of luggage until it ran into her from behind.

"What are you doing?!"

Ruby turned frantically to see an angry girl with white hair scolding her "Uh, sorry!"

"Sorry?! Do you have any idea of the damage you could have caused?"

Ruby frantically began trying to gather the contents of the luggage that had fallen out, picking up a vial of red Dust, only to have it snatched out of her hand...

"Give me that! This is Dust - mined and purified from the Schnee quarry!"

"I… I"

The girl began waving the vial in Ruby's face.

"What are you, brain-dead? Dust! Fire, water, lightning, energy!"

"I... I know what it is…" Ruby started waving her hand in front of her as some of the Dust flew in her face.

"Are you even listening to me? Is any of this sinking in- uh oh!"

Ruby and the girl in white activated their aura just in time for the sneeze that ignited the Dust and caused an explosion right in the middle of the courtyard. The vial of Dust fell away from the pair.

As the explosion cleared, the girl shook soot off herself and continued her rant, "Unbelievable! This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!"

"I'm really, really sorry!"

"What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon? This isn't your ordinary combat school. It's not just sparring and practice, you know! We're here to fight monsters, so... watch where you're going!"

Ruby finally lost her temper. "Hey, I said I was sorry, princess!"

"If you're going to lecture others about mishandling dust, maybe try following your own advice and don't blow yourself up."

Ruby jumped. The black-haired girl had come out of nowhere.

The girl in white fumed, "I know how to handle my dust, I'm…"

"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world." The girl in black's eyes narrowed, and her tone darkened. "The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business…"

She suddenly paused, her eyes darting around. "Look, just don't go blaming others for your own carelessness" she quickly shoved the bottle of Dust into Weiss's hands and hurried off.

Ruby expected the girl in white to lash out, but when she looked back at her, she seemed almost ashamed before she turned and stomped off.

"I promise I'll make this up to you!" Ruby called out feebly, before groaning and walking off, "Welcome to Beacon..."

* * *

As Ruby wandered, she was surprised to find herself outside of a chicken coop. She smiled at some of the chicks walking about and picked some feed from a bag near the entrance.

"Wonder what this is doing here." Ruby mused to herself as she fed the chicks.

"The academies have been adding infrastructure and farm work to their curriculum lately." She looked up to see Vomit Boy had joined her. "Huntsmen are expensive, and some of the towns outside the Kingdoms are reluctant to hire them if all they do is bodyguarding."

Ruby looked in surprise at the boy then began to giggle, "aren't you the boy who threw up?"

He looked at her with a raised brow "aren't you the girl who blew up in the courtyard?"

"Hey, that was an accident!"

"Well, I don't have any control over my motion sickness."

Ruby hanged her head. "I'm sorry."

The boy smiled, "its fine, Crater Face."

"Hey!"

"You gave me a nickname, so I have to give you one."

The girl pouted as he laughed. "My name is Ruby."

He smiled and offered her his hand. "I'm Jaune. Jaune Arc."

* * *

Yang apologized to the group she hijacked and headed off to Beacon's gym.

"Sorry, Ruby, but you can't rely on just me."

Yang was well into her workout routine when she noticed a girl in white approaching her.

"Pardon me." The girl approached her with a confident smile. "But are you Yang Xiao Long?"

"…Yeah."

"Great! I'm Weiss Schnee. Perhaps you've heard of me?"

Yang shrugged as she began a round of squats. "Rings a bell. You're related to the owners of the Schnee Dust Company?"

"I'm the heiress." Weiss nodded, "But more importantly, like you, I was top of my class in Atlas Primary Academy, just as you were top of your class at Signal Academy."

"Oh, good for you." Yang smiled though she felt slightly weirded out that this stranger knew her placement at Signal.

"Yes, and Pyrrha Nikos is also attending this Academy."

"Oh, cool!" Yang's eyes lit up at that. "She's the girl on the cereal boxes, right? I've always wanted to take her on. Find out if she's as good as they say."

"You don't win the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in a row if you're just a face. More importantly, she'd make a valuable teammate! And not only is she here, but I heard that the only son of Julius Arc is attending as well!"

"Arc, huh?" That name sounded familiar.

"The most famous family of huntsmen in history. He's so incredible the primary academies were beneath him!"

Yang wracked her brain to try and remember where she'd heard that name before. She'd heard it in history books, but she felt like she knew it from somewhere else.

"While we've been attending classes, he must have been apprenticed by his father. He probably spent years in the wilderness surviving on his wits alone, or in the mountains learning hidden family techniques, or outside the kingdoms defending the weak and helpless. He's probably years ahead of the rest of us!"

Yang shook away vague memories of a clumsy boy she'd fought at the Signal entrance exams four years ago. "I'm sure he's very impressive."

"All four of us are impressive! We're leagues ahead of the rest of our classmates! If the four of us teamed up, we'd be unstoppable!"

Yang shook her head. "Okay, Ice Queen, I'm gonna level with you. While I admit I'm pretty good in a fight, I only did that good in Signal because my dad and uncle were teachers there, and they made sure I did the stupid homework. So if you're looking to recruit a team elites, you've come to the wrong girl."

"You're just being modest."

"And last I checked, team selections aren't up to us. They're mostly random or determined by the academy staff. So you're probably gonna have to mingle with at least a few of those people you claim to be so much better than."

Weiss clammed up and glared at that comment as Yang walked away.

* * *

Ruby and Jaune continued to stroll through the courtyards of Beacon. Ruby began to feel a little awkward with the silence and pulled out Crescent Rose.

"So I've got this thing!"

"Whoa!" Jaune jumped at the suddenness of the reveal but leaned in to observe the weapon. "It's a scythe?"

"It's also a customizable, High-impact Sniper Rifle!"

"So… It's also a gun?"

Ruby giggled, "Right."

"Must've taken a lot of training to master that."

Ruby nodded. "I spent years training with my Uncle."

"Well, that's pretty cool!"

Ruby smiled, liking where this talk was going. "What about your weapon?"

Jaune suddenly became a little sheepish as he revealed his simple longsword, "Oh! I, uh... I got this sword!"

Ruby felt her interest begin to wane a little "Ooooohh!"

"Yeah, and I've got a shield, too!" He produced his scabbard and quickly expanded it to its shield form.

Ruby's curiosity continued to fade. "So, what do they do?"

Jaune detected the wavering interest and sighed, "honestly, not much. The shield doubles as a scabbard, which makes them easier to carry."

Ruby realized she must have been making him feel self-conscious. "Well, I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons, sooo... I guess I did go a little overboard with Crescent Rose. More style and a little less substance."

Jaune smiled. "Yeah, I might make some adjustments to Crocea Mors in the future, maybe add a side-arm when I get the time to practice my aim, but for now, it works for me. Plus, it's a family heirloom, so it'd be disrespectful not to use it."

Ruby felt her curiosity begin to spring up again. "An heirloom? So it's a classic?"

"Yeah, my Great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war."

"And it's still usable?" Ruby squealed, her excitement back "That's amazing! What kind of steel is it? What kind of crafting process did they use? Is it damascene?!"

Jaune laughed as he began discussing his swords composition with the enthusiastic girl.

* * *

Half an hour later, the two entered the main hall of Beacon Academy for the orientation ceremony.

"Ruby! Over here!"

Ruby waved back and ran over to her. "That's my sister. I'll see you later, Jaune."

"Aww, where am I gonna find another nice quirky girl to talk to?"

Yang smiled as Ruby approached. "Looks like you and 'Vomit Boy' are getting along."

"His names Jaune, please don't call him that or he'll start calling me 'Crater Face.'"

"Crater Face?"

"Oh yeah, after you ditched me, I exploded!"

"Yikes! Meltdown already?"

"No, I literally exploded a hole in front of the school! And there was some fire, and I think some ice...?" She took a breath as another figure began to approach her from behind. "I tripped over some crabby girl's luggage, and then she yelled at me, and then I sneezed, and then I exploded, and then she yelled at me again, and I felt really, really bad, and I just wanted her to stop yelling at me!"

"You!"

Weiss stood right behind Ruby, glaring at her furiously.

Ruby jumped into Yang's arms in a panic. "Oh Brothers, it's happening again!"

"You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of the cliff!"

Yang looked at Ruby in shock, "Oh, wow, you really exploded."

"It was an accident. It was an accident!"

Yang took pity on her panicking little sister, "Look, Ice Queen, it sounds like you two just got off on the wrong foot. Why don't you start over and try to be friends, okay?

Ruby perked up at that idea, "Yeah! Great idea, sis!" She cleared her throat and held out a friendly hand to Weiss. "Hello, Weiss! I'm Ruby! Wanna hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies!"

Weiss put on a false look of enthusiasm. "Yeah! And we can paint our nails and try on clothes and talk about cute boys, like tall, blond, and scraggly over there!" She gestured behind her to Jaune, who perked up at the awkward praise.

"Wow, really?!"

Weiss deadpanned at the girl's inability to recognize sarcasm "No."

Yang glared at Weiss and prepared to tell her off when a voice from the podium cleared his throat. Professor Ozpin stood before the students.

"I'll... keep this brief. One hundred of you have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far."

Ruby frowned slightly at the admonition. "The number of students enrolling at this and other academies is rapidly dwindling. For many, this time of peace has led to complacency. For others, the risks and mortality rates that come with the work frighten them away. But rather than resist these dwindling numbers, the Huntsmen Academies have chosen to embrace it. We focus on the quality of our students rather than the quantity."

"Tomorrow, we will hold initiation. Of the hundred students in this room, less than half will continue down the path to be huntsmen. The rest will have to settle for careers in law enforcement and basic kingdom defenses. Those who pass will have a grueling and dangerous journey ahead of them."

Ruby's jaw fell at this news. She knew that lots of students who passed the entrance exams never actually became huntsmen, but she didn't think the culling would take place so quickly!

Glynda Goodwitch had replaced Ozpin at the podium. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

Yang turned to Ruby, who looked ready to puke. "You okay, sis?"

"I don't know if I can do this. Why did Ozpin accept me early if he was going to throw me right into a pass/fail situation right out the gate?"

"He must've thought you could handle it." Yang put a hand on her sister's shoulder, "Hey! Remember what Dad said. You have to pass this."

Weiss raised her brows at the conversation between the two sisters until Jaune leaned over.

"So you think I'm cute, huh?" he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively as Weiss blushed and facepalmed.

* * *

"Seriously?" Jaune scowled as he observed the only sleepwear he could find in his bags and the note that came with it.

'Have a good time at Beacon Bro :P –Nav and Roy.'

"Everything okay?"

Jaune turned in surprise and paled as he came face to face with his opponent from the Entrance Exams, Lie Ren.

Ren raised his brow as he also recognized Jaune. "Oh. Jaune, right?"

Jaune scratched his head nervously. "Yep, that's me! Your name's… Lie Ren, yeah?"

"I go by Ren." The boy nodded. "So, you were accepted, huh?"

"Y-yeah, barely. I guess my other scores were enough to make them ignore our fight. S-sorry if I made you look bad too."

Ren shrugged politely. "Well, it looks like everything worked out. Were you having some sort of trouble over here?"

Jaune nodded, grateful for the change of subject. "No, just a prank, my sisters decided to pull on me."

Ren raised a brow as Jaune showed him the sleepwear they'd slipped into his bags. "That is unfortunate."

Jaune sighed in resignation. "Yeah, I figure I'd better just own it. That's usually all you can do in embarrassing situations like this."

Ren nodded with a slightly amused look on his face, "Probably your best bet. Good luck."

* * *

"It's like a big slumber party!" Yang plopped down next to Ruby enthusiastically.

"Don't think dad would approve of all the boys, though."

"I know I do." Yang grinned as she observed the boys, but raised a brow as Jaune walked past in a onesie, trying his hardest to look like it didn't bother him. "Yeesh, and I thought you were the biggest child here."

"Could you not make fun of the first friend I made here, Yang?"

Yang smiled and laughed, "aww, sticking up for your new bestie? That's so cute!"

Yang's cooing was quickly interrupted by a pillow.

"Shut up! I'm not good at making new friends like you! I can't just ditch my sister and immediately have new ones."

Yang grew a little more somber. "Hey, I'm sorry about earlier. But you can't just rely on me to be your only friend here. And you already made friends with Jaune! Assuming that onesie isn't a deal-breaker and you didn't scare him off nerding out over weapons." She ducked the second pillow.

"Jaune came up to me. And Weiss already hates me. I'm not a social butterfly like you."

Yang put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Look, I'll always have your back, but I can't always be there to protect you, even if we do team-up. That's why Beacon assigns us, teams of four, so you can find at least three more people to have your back. So somewhere in this room is at least one more friend for you! You just haven't met them yet!"

Ruby smiled hopefully at her sister's encouragement, then noticed candlelight in a corner. The black-haired girl with the bow sat in the corner reading a book.

"That girl..."

Yang looked to Ruby curiously, "You know her?"

"Not really. She saw what happened this morning and told off Weiss, but left before I could say anything."

Yang smiled and grabbed her sister by the hand. "Well, now's your chance!"

"Wait! What are you doing?!" Ruby quickly found herself dragged to her feet and over to the girl who looked up as the two approached.

"~Hel-looooo!~" Yang sang out as the two sisters approached, "I believe you two may know each other?"

"Aren't you... that girl that exploded?"

"Uh, yeah! My name's Ruby! But you can just call me Crater... Actually, you can just call me Ruby.

The girl shrugged and looked back to her book, "Okay."

"What are you doing?" Yang hissed to Ruby.

"I don't know - help me!"

Yang turned to Blake with another smile, "So... What's your name?"

The girl sighed as she looked back at the sisters, "Blake Bellamy."

"Well, Blake, I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister! I like your bow!"

Blake raised a brow briefly. "You two are sisters?"

"Half-sisters"

"The same dad, different moms."

The two responded almost in unison, having heard the question a million times before

"Right..."

Yang tried again to keep up the conversation, "Nice night, don't you think?"

"Yes - it's lovely! Almost as lovely as this book!... That I will continue to read…" She looked up, hoping the sisters would take the hint, "As soon as you leave!"

Yang turned to Ruby. "Okay, I think we're bothering her."

Ruby leaned in curiously, "What's it about?"

Blake looked up again, "Huh?"

"Your book. Does it have a name?"

"Well... i-it's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body."

Yang shuddered, "Yeesh, that doesn't sound fun."

"I love books." Ruby offered happily, "Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters... They're one of the reasons I want to be a Huntress!"

Blake chuckled slightly, "And why is that? Hoping you'll live happily ever after?"

Ruby shrugged optimistically. "Well, I'm hoping we all will. As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books... Someone who fought for what was right and protected people who couldn't protect themselves!"

"That's... very ambitious for a child." Blake frowned slightly. "Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale."

Ruby thought for a moment then smiled. "Well, that's why we're here! To make it better."

Blake's smile returned, and she nodded, "I suppose it is."

Yang suddenly scooped Ruby up in a bear hug. "I've never seen you this social before! I'm so proud of my baby sister."

"Cut it out!" Ruby whined as she struggled to get loose.

Blake laughed pleasantly at the duo's antics. "Well, Ruby, Yang, it's a pleasure to ha-"

"What in the world is going on over here?! Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep?"

Blake scowled as Weiss Schnee approached.

"Oh, not you again!" Yang shouted at Weiss while Weiss shouted the same to Ruby.

Ruby tried to restore calm "Shh! Guys, she's right! People are trying to sleep!"

"Oh, now you're on my side?!"

Ruby threw her hands up in frustration "I was always on your side!"

Yang stepped up to Weiss. "Yeah, what's your problem with my sister? She's only trying to be nice!"

"She's a hazard to my health!"

Blake decided she wasn't getting any more reading done for the night and blew out her candle.


	4. The First Step

"Wake up, lazy butt!"

Ren smiled fondly as he woke to the beaming face of his lifelong friend Nora. He rose and began going about his morning routine while she went on one of her exciting rants.

"It's morning! It's morning! It's morning! It's morning! I can't believe we've been at Beacon for a full twenty-four hours! Not that I thought we'd get kicked out or anything, I mean, you're the perfect student and I'm... well, I'm me! But it's just crazy, you know? We've been friends for soooooooo long! What are the odds we'd still be together? Well, not "together-together..." Not that I'm not saying that you're not handsome; you are handsome, but that'd just be weird, right? Right! What was I thinking? But still, I hope we end up on the same team together! Oohhhh! We should come up with some sort of plan to make sure we end up on the same team together! What if we bribe the headmaster? No, that won't work. He has the school. I know! We'll have some sort of signal! Like a distress signal! A secret signal so we can find each other in the forest! Can you imitate a sloth?

"Nora?" Ren finished prepping his weapon and turned to her.

"Yes, Ren?"

"I don't think sloths make a lot of noise."

Nora considered that for a moment, "That's why it's perfect! No one will suspect we're working together!"

Ren laughed at her silly logic. "Come on, Nora, let's go."

As the two departed, they passed by Yang, giving Ruby a pep talk. "You look even more nervous than yesterday. This should be easy for you; you finally get to show off your skills! People will be begging to have you on their team."

"That's not what happened at Signal." Ruby hanged her head. "Everyone thought I was a freak who tried too hard and took things too seriously."

"Well, people here are gonna be a lot more mature and take things just as seriously."

"Can't I just team up with you?" Ruby whined desperately.

Yang placed a hand on her head and gave it a rub. "It's probably not up to us. And part of growing up is learning to work with all kinds of different people."

"Hmmph," Ruby groaned. "I don't need other people to help me grow. I drink milk!"

Yang laughed as Jaune passed the pair on his way to his locker, passing Weiss speaking eagerly to a red-haired girl in traditional Mistralian combat armor.

"So, Pyrrha, have you given any thought to whose team you'd like to be on? I'm sure everyone must be eager to unite with such a strong warrior such as you!"

Pyrrha forced a smile, clearly uncomfortable "Hmm... I'm not quite sure. I was planning on letting the chips fall where they may."

"Well... I was thinking maybe we could be on a team together."

Pyrrha's smile grew more strained as she shrugged politely. "Well, that sounds grand!"

"Great!"

Weiss fist-pumped discreetly into her locker as her plans began falling into place.

"This will be perfect! The smartest girl in class, combined with the strongest girl in class! All I need to do now is find the Arc son! Together we will be unstoppable! I can see it now! We'll be popular! We'll be celebrities! We'll get perfect grades! Nothing can stop us now!"

"Hey, you girls seem pretty skilled! Wanna try and team up for Initiation?"

Weiss groaned as a blonde head, poked out from behind his locker.

"You again?"

"Sorry, Snow Angel, guess you only know me as Tall Blonde and Scraggly." The boy grinned cheekily as he offered Weiss his hand, "The names Jaune."

"Nice to meet you, Jaune!" Weiss and Jaune both jumped as Pyrrha eagerly stepped in and took his proffered hand.

"Hi… Anyway, I heard you two talking about teams, and I happen to have some spots open! What do you say?"

Weiss stepped between Jaune and Pyrrha. "Jaune, is it? Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"

"Well, I know your name is Weiss, but…"

Weiss shook her head and gestured behind her. "This is Pyrrha."

"Hello again!"

"Pyrrha graduated top of her class at Sanctum!"

Jaune raised his eyebrows, mildly impressed. "Oh, I didn't know that. Congrats."

He gave Pyrrha a nod but noticed she was looking away uncomfortably.

"She's won the Mistral Region Tournaments four years in a row! A new record!"

"Oh." Jaune rubbed his head as he began to worry that he was offending Pyrrha. "Sorry, I know what that is, but my family doesn't follow tournaments too much. But still, that's cool."

Weiss finally waved her hands in annoyance. "She's on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box!"

"Oh, okay, I've probably seen you on there."

He was relieved when Pyrrha looked at him with a small smile, "Yeah, it was pretty cool. Sadly, the cereal isn't very good for you."

Jaune chuckled, "Hehe, yeah, I'm not really into cereal myself."

Weiss shook her head. "So, after hearing all of this, do you really think you're in a position to ask her to be on your team?"

Jaune grew slightly annoyed at that. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to be a jerk or anything. I guess I'm just a little outside the loop."

Pyrrha smiled brightly. "It's alright. I'd be happy to be on a team with you."

Jaune smiled and plastered on an air of mock embarrassment. "Oh, stop it!"

Weiss began to feel her plans threatened as she once again stepped between the two. "Seriously, please stop it. This kind of behavior should not be encouraged!"

"Sounds like Pyrrha's onboard for Team Jaune." Jaune teased as he pulled a sizeable tactical backpack from his locker and began adjusting the straps on his body. "Spots are filling up quick! Now, I'm not supposed to do this, but maybe I could pull some strings, find a place for you. What do you say?"

Weiss rolled her eyes and shoved past him. "I'll keep you posted."

Glynda Goodwitch's voice rang over the intercom system. "Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for Initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."

"It was nice meeting you!" Pyrrha waved to Jaune as she strolled past him.

"Likewise."

Yang smirked as she and Ruby approached, "Having fun there, Lady Killer?"

Jaune chuckled. "Any tips from the judges? I got a chance there?"

"'Snow Angel' probably wasn't the best start."

Ruby laughed and tilted her head, "What's with the big pack?"

"Just trying to be prepared. We don't know what Initiation will be like."

Yang raised a bemused brow but didn't question further.

* * *

Ozpin and Glynda stood at the edge of the cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest, carrying a pair of megaphones, observing the line of 100 students. "For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

Glynda spoke up, "The Emerald Forest is currently a Level 7 Hunting Zone, meaning it is too dangerous for any of you to survive in on your own. This is why each of you will be given teammates... today."

Ruby felt herself growing more nervous.

Ozpin continued the information, "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. That said, you must also know how to work with a variety of people, so while you may try to work within these parameters however you choose, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

Ruby felt herself beginning to panic "Whaaaat?!"

While she panicked, Nora shot Ren a knowing grin. "See? I told you-!"

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You may deal with whatever opposition you meet along the way in whatever manner you see fit. Including your classmates."

That statement got several reactions from the students, some growing more nervous, while others seemed to grow more excited.

"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your Initiation, but our instructors will not intervene until someone's Aura is eliminated, at which point that individual and their partner will both be evacuated and removed from Initiation. You will find abandoned ruins in the northern section of the forest, where you will find 24 relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. Of course, as there are only 24 relics, only 48 of you will pass Initiation and move on from here, as you were informed last night. Are there any questions?"

Several hands raised nervously.

"Good! Now take your positions."

Jaune looked down at the tile beneath his feet and felt himself growing more nervous as students launched into the forest.

Ozpin gave him a bemused look. "I don't suppose you have a parachute in that pack Mr. Arc?"

Jaune chuckled nervously as he braced himself. "No, sir."

"Is it a part of your landing strategy?"

"It might be padded enough to break my fall."

Ozpin shrugged, "its times like this that aura makes things a lot easier, isn't it?"

Jaune didn't have time to process the intention behind that statement before he launched into the air with a yelp of surprise.

* * *

Pyrrha used her shield to slow her descent enough that she was able to get a sound footing in a large tree, and began looking around through the scope of Milo's rifle mode. She saw Weiss Schnee using glyphs to halt her descent and land gracefully on the forest floor. She quickly moved on, spotting a girl in red use her rifle to slow her decline, then morph it to a scythe and hook a tree. Another blonde girl using gravity dust to launch herself farther into the forest, possibly not trying to land, merely trying to gain as much air as possible.

Finally, she spotted her target. Jaune was struggling to position himself so that he would land on his bulky backpack. Pyrrha decided to ensure his safety and shifted to Milo's Javelin form, launching it at the boy, catching the loop of the pack, and nailing him to a tree.

Jaune looked around in surprise when he found his descent halted and realized a spear was pinning him to a tree. The boy shrugged and decided to accept Pyrrha's help with grace.

"Thank you!"

"I'm sorry!"

* * *

As soon as Ruby landed, she began running.

"Come on, come on, Yang, where are you? Or Jaune. Maybe Blake? Just let it be someone I can get along with!"

She suddenly screeched to a halt as a familiar side ponytail appeared in her path, and Weiss turned in surprise, both their eyes widening as they met.

Ruby suppressed a groan and smiled awkwardly as Weiss tried to stop herself from screaming in frustration.

"Jaune?"

Weiss turned to see that Pyrrha had arrived at the foot of a tree. She whimpered in her throat as she saw Jaune pinned to the tree Pyrrha stood under, then growled and accepted her fate.

"By no means does this make us friends." She seized Ruby by her hood and began pulling her into the forest.

* * *

Pyrrha sent Jaune a friendly smile as their eyes met, "Do you... have any spots left on your team?"

"Very funny." Jaune rolled his eyes and then sent a friendly smile back at her.

* * *

"Helloooooooo?" Yang wandered the forest, looking for a partner. "Is anyone out there? Helloooo? I'm getting bored here!"

She jumped as she heard a rustling in the bushes. "Is someone there?"

She moved in to investigate, "Ruby, is that you?"

A pair of behemoths growled at her.

"Nope."

She dove away just in time to avoid an ursa's massive swipe. She quickly shook off the surprise and delivered two swift blows to the ursa's head, stunning it briefly, but was driven back when a second ursa emerged and struck her shoulder. She leaped away, trying to create some distance.

"You guys wouldn't happen to have seen a girl in a red hood, would you?"

Yang's cockiness was interrupted when the first ursa descended on her, knocking her down and biting down on her arm. Yang delivered several quick blows to the creature's face with her free arm.

"You could just say 'no'!"

The ursa gave one more chop on her arm before she finally succeeded in puncturing the creature's face, killing it. She rose just in time to be struck again by the remaining Ursa. She prepared to attack again, only to pause as a strand of hair fell in front of her eyes.

"You… You monster!" Her eyes turned red, and flames erupted behind her as she launched herself at the grimm unloading a barrage of blows, knocking it back. She barely noticed her Aura flickering as she prepared when the creature rose to its hind legs and roared at her.

"What?! You want some more?!"

Suddenly, the ursa stiffened and fell, a Kusarigama blade sticking out of the back of its skull.

Blake pulled her blade from the creature's skull and smiled at Yang, their eyes meeting.

Yang shrugged sheepishly "I could've taken him."

* * *

Ruby struggled to escape from Weiss' grip on her hood. "What's the hurry?"

"I will not let my mission be delayed because you're too slow! I swear if I fail to pass Initiation because of your-"

Ruby suddenly vanished in a puff of rose petals and appeared in front of Weiss with a cheeky grin.

"What the…?"

"I'm not slow, see? You don't have to worry about me!"

"When did...?"

"Weiss, just because I don't exactly know how to deal with people doesn't mean I don't know how to deal with monsters!" She threw an eager arm around Weiss' shoulders. "You're about to see a whole different side of me today, Weiss. And after it's all over, you're going to be like, 'Wow! That Ruby girl is really, really cool... and I wanna be her friend!'"

She sped off into the woods, continuing to look around, annoying Weiss.

"Okay, you're fast! Now stop showing off and wasting time!"

She suddenly froze as she heard a rustling, not far off "Ruby?"

She paled as a pack of 16 beowolves emerged into the clearing.

"Ruby!"

* * *

As Pyrrha helped Jaune down, he accidentally scraped his hand on some bark.

"I'm sorry!"

Jaune winced as he looked at his hand, "it's fine. Better than a broken spine."

"Why didn't you use your aura?"

"Huh?"

"You're Aura."

Jaune felt himself begin to panic. "Welllll"

"Jaune, do you... know what Aura is?"

"Yes, I know what it is." He insisted sharply, "It's a magical force field that protects us, enhances our weapons, warns us of danger, and gives us superpowers."

Pyrrha couldn't help but feel that that definition was a little too plain for describing something so miraculous.

"It's not magic. Magic is a power that changes and perverts the nature of things. And nobody even knows if it truly exists. Aura is the naturally occurring manifestation of our soul. It bears our burdens and shields our hearts. Have you ever felt you were being watched without knowing that someone was there?"

"Uh... yeah." when did this turn into a sermon?

* * *

In another section of the Forest, Ren cautiously moved about, searching for Nora. He froze as he felt a presence observing him. And not a friendly one.

* * *

"With practice, our Aura can be our shield. Everyone has it, even animals."

* * *

Ren threw up his arms as a massive snake head lunged for him. His Aura flared and deflected the attack.

* * *

"Except monsters."

"Correct. The monsters we fight lack a soul. They are creatures of Grimm, the manifestation of anonymity. They are the darkness, and we are the light."

* * *

Ren flipped away, his boots striking the King Taijitu's jaw, and drew Stormflower, unloading a few rounds into the creature. It lunged again, and he evaded, before moving in to plunge his blades between the creature's eyes and sprayed several bullets into the skull until it stopped moving.

* * *

"Right, that's why we fight them!"

"Not just them. Humanity has plenty of enemies from within. Understanding dark and light within ourselves and others helps us manifest our Aura. Everyone has some of both. By baring your soul outward as a force, you can deflect harm. All of our tools, equipment, and especially our semblance are conduits for Aura. You protect yourself and your soul when fighting."

* * *

Ren had hardly any time to rest as a second head emerged from the snake's hind end and lunged. Ren dropped Stormflower and threw up his hand and deflected the fangs with Aura again. He put a foot on the creature's lower jaw, then seized the fangs, yanking them out, and plunged them in its eyes, killing it.

* * *

Pyrrha then giggled a little, "So yes, it is a force field that gives you superpowers, if you want to look at it that way. Though that force field is finite, and we can still feel pain despite it.

"Right, I know all that, I just…" Jaune paused, looking for the right words. "…haven't had mine activated yet."

Pyrrha raised a brow in surprise, but smiled, "I can help you with that." She placed her right hand on the side of his head and her left on his chest. "Now, close your eyes and concentrate."

"Uhh... Okay." Jaune nervously closed his eyes.

_"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."_

As she stepped away, Pyrrha stumbled in slight exhaustion.

"Pyrrha?"

She held up a calming hand. "It's all right. I used my Aura to unlock yours, but the energy that protects you now is your own. You have a lot of it."

Jaune looked down at his hand and watched as the scrapes disappeared as a white light enveloped him.

* * *

As Ren prepared to depart, he heard a strange bird call, and Nora dropped in front of him, hanging upside down from a tree.

Ren chuckled softly, "I don't think that's what a sloth sounds like.

"Boop!"

* * *

Weiss took a breath and lunged for the nearest Beowolf, only for Ruby to suddenly leap in her path and cut down the Beowolf she was aiming to hit. Weiss tried to pull away, but her blade still struck Ruby in the rear. The girl yelped and turned, hitting Weiss with Crescent Rose.

"It's me, you dunce!"

"Sorry!" Ruby cut off as the Beowolves descended on the hapless pair. The two carved their way through and managed to create some distance, cutting down several of the beowolves, but taking several blows themselves. They backed away and saw there were ten remaining.

"You take those three; I'll take the other seven. Stay out of my way!"

"I can take half," Ruby grumbled as the two moved in.

Ruby made short work of her three and looked over to see that Weiss had taken out all but three of her enemies. She decided to help by shifting Crescent Rose to its rifle form. She yelped when both beowolves dove out of the way, and the shot instead took Weiss in the shoulder, which sent two fireballs flying. One struck Ruby, while the other hit a dying tree, setting it and the surrounding brush ablaze.

Weiss groaned in exasperation as she looked at hers and Ruby's Aura, finding them both in the red. The remaining Grimm were fleeing the scene, so she ran up and seized Ruby's arm.

"We have to go.

Once the two were a reasonable distance away, Ruby pulled away in irritation.

"What was that?! That should've been easy!"

Weiss felt her irritation skyrocketing. "You jumped in front of my attack and shot me, you dolt!

"I was trying to help! You didn't have to set me on fire and stab me in the butt!"

"Well, why didn't you attack from the tree line? You could have aimed better and stayed out of my way!"

"I don't have enough dust to use on an entire pack of beowolves! There's a shortage in Vale right now! Not everyone has access to entire quarries of the stuff!"

"Well, why didn't you tell me that when we teamed up? You could've borrowed some of mine."

"You didn't ask!"

"How does someone who talks so much have such horrible communication skills?"

"Why are you so bossy?"

"I'm not bossy! Don't say things like that!"

"Stop treating me likes a kid!"

"Stop acting like a kid!"

Ruby stomped her feet in frustration. "I got into Beacon early for a reason, you know!"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Well, congratulations on being the strongest child to sneak your way into Beacon. Bravo!"

"Well, I'm sorry not everyone's as perfect as you!"

"I'm. Not. Perfect! Not yet... But I'm still leagues better than you." With that, Weiss stomped away, leaving Ruby to mutter.

"You don't even know me…" Weiss paused briefly at that but then continued forward.

* * *

Jaune and Pyrrha looked around as they heard sounds of battle coming from nearby.

"Sounds like some people have already run into Grimm," Jaune observed.

"Actually," Pyrrha frowned as she listened closely to the sounds of metal meeting metal, "It sounds like our classmates have begun fighting amongst themselves."

"Oh." Jaune winced slightly, "I guess they figured they had a better chance by eliminating the competition rather than outrunning them."

He looked to Pyrrha slightly apprehensively, "Do you… think we should join in?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "I don't think that's necessary. Our objective is getting to the relics first, not fighting amongst ourselves."

Jaune nodded gratefully as he reached into his pack. "Yeah, we've got enough to worry about with the Grimm. In that case, let's figure out where we're going."

Pyrrha raised a brow as he pulled out a map and compass. She looked over his shoulder to see it was a map of the Emerald Forest.

"You came prepared." She observed.

"As prepared as I could be without aura." Jaune shrugged. "Looks like there are two ruins in the northern section of the forest. It's probably the big one in the middle here, but these smaller ruins are on the way, so we can probably give it a quick look-see just in case they decided to make things tougher."

Pyrrha smiled and nodded. The two headed off to the northeast.

* * *

Glynda Goodwitch and Professor Ozpin stood at the edge of Beacon cliff, looking over their scrolls, which showed surveillance footage.

"The last pair has been formed, sir. Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. Strange that two people so different would get along so well. Poor Boy."

Ozpin chuckled as he observed Ruby and Weiss's progress.

"Still, he's probably better off than Miss Nikos. I know that Jaune fellow is trying, but he is not ready for this level of combat."

Ozpin shrugged. "I guess we'll find out soon enough. They're getting close to the ruins."

* * *

Jaune and Pyrrha arrived at a set of ruins. There was a handful of ruined buildings around, but it was mostly rubble.

Jaune looked around skeptically. "This probably isn't it, huh?"

Pyrrha shook her head skeptically. "Probably not."

Jaune was about to move forward when a glint of gold in some rubble caught his eye. "Hold on."

He approached the object as Pyrrha looked around some more. Suddenly her eye was drawn to a carving on one of the still-standing walls. It showed a crowd of people fighting what looked like a giant Scorpion.

"Jaune…"

"Pyrrha!" She looked up, noticing the urgency in his whisper. He unclasped the straps on his pack as quietly as possible and backed away from something in the rubble. "It's time for us to go."

Suddenly the rubble erupted outwards, and a Deathstalker emerged.

"Run!" Jaune shouted as he threw off his pack as he tried to retreat, only for his foot to catch on some rubble, and he found himself on his back.

The Deathstalker lunged its stinger at Jaune, who desperately clapped his hands together, trying to catch the blow. He looked up in shock when he found that he'd succeeded, only to find himself yanked into the air by the creature as it flailed about furiously.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha called "Don't let-"

Too late, her partner was hurled off into the forest for the second time that day.

"…Go."

Pyrrha nervously regarded the massive Grimm looming over her and ran after her flying partner.

* * *

"This is a waste of time!" Weiss grumbled as she followed Ruby up a rock formation.

"So is wandering around aimlessly with no idea where we're going." Ruby shot back.

"I wasn't wandering; I know which way north is."

"Well 'north' is a very general direction. I'm just trying to get an idea of where we are."

"Well, we don't have to go mountain climbing; you could just climb a tree."

Ruby finally pulled herself to the top of the formation. "Nobody's saying you had to follow me."

"Our encounter with those Beowolves shows me that I do! Otherwise, you might jump in front of my attacks or shoot me again!"

"I was just trying to hel-AAAAAAAH!" Ruby suddenly screamed as the rocks beneath her gave way.

"Ruby!" Weiss grabbed her hand to try and stop but found herself pulled down with her.

The two were surprised when the fall ended up being softer than they expected. That surprise then turned to dread as the object they landed on stirred and screeched, the pair grabbing onto what they now realized were feathers to keep from being thrown off.

"Ruby! This was a terrible idea!" Weiss shouted as the Nevermore took off with the pair still clinging to its back.

* * *

R&R, Let me know what you thought, also let me know where you feel everyone places in terms of combat ability. I've been trying to show that with the fight scenes (who defeats stronger enemies, who take fewer hits, who can take more hits, who finishes most efficiently, that kind of thing.


	5. Players and Pieces

Blake and Yang observed the ruins before them.

"Think this is it?"

The two moved forward and observed the pedestals and the objects on top of them.

"Chess pieces?"

Yang noticed that each piece had two little buds with a thin line extending downward next to them. "And what are these earpieces for?"

"They're probably for communication between partners." Blake responded, "teammates are probably tuned to the same frequency. That's how we'll know who our other two teammates are. Well, I guess we should pick one."

Yang was one step ahead of her. "How about a cute little pony?"

"Sure."

"That wasn't too hard!" Yang looked around, "Looks like we're the first ones here."

Blake nodded. "We got lucky, and most of our classmates are probably in-fighting."

Yang thought for a moment, "Wanna wait a little while to see who else shows up?"

Blake raised a knowing brow. "You mean Ruby?"

Yang shrugged, "I just wanna see who she wound up with."

Blake shuffled slightly. "Sorry if I spoiled your plans."

"No, it's fine!" Yang shook her head quickly. "I was kind of hoping Ruby would find another teammate."

Blake raised a brow.

"Ruby's always had trouble making friends. But if she's gonna make it here, she needs a team she can work well with. And of course, I'll always have her back, but no matter how much I want to, I can't always be there for her."

Blake nodded, then suddenly looked up in surprise, her bow twitching slightly.

* * *

"Ruby! I told you this was a terrible idea!" Weiss yelled even louder over the wind in the pair's ears as the Nevermore took them for a ride.

"Well, I didn't exactly plan on catching a ride on a Nevermore!" Ruby called back, "But I think I see the temple down there!"

"And how do you propose we get down there?!"

"Well, why don't we just jump?"

"What are you, insane?!"

Weiss's rant went unheard as Ruby had already fallen.

"Oh, you insufferable little red-"

* * *

"Heads uuuuuuuup!"

Yang only had a moment to wonder if Blake's bow had just twitched when she looked up as well, just in time to begin panicking when she saw her sister fall from the sky.

Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose and prepared some gravity dust to break her fall until Jaune suddenly flew in and knocked the two of them into a tree.

Blake gave Yang a bemused look. "Yeah, she needs all the help she can get."

Yang sweat-dropped as she began to worry about her sister's survival when the forest erupted as an ursa emerged with… Was that girl riding it?!

Blake began to become concerned herself, "You better hope they're not your sister's teammates."

As the ursa fell, the forest erupted again as Pyrrha came running out with a deathstalker on her tail.

"Seriously?"

Ruby groaned as she recovered from the collision. "What was that?"

"Hey, Ruby." Jaune gave her a small nod from his branch.

The two jumped as they heard commotions from the trees and saw Nora and Pyrrha making their entrances.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune began scrambling down from his tree while Ruby rushed down in a flurry of roses.

"Yang!"

Yang waved back, "Ruby!"

"Nora!" they jumped as the bubbly girl popped between them.

Yang looked around, "So is Jaune your partner sis?"

Ruby sighed, "No, it's…" She suddenly gasped and looked around frantically. "Weiss?!"

"Uh…" Blake pointed upwards, and Ruby followed her gaze to see Weiss dangling from the Nevermore's talons.

"How could you leave me?!"

"I said, jump!"

"She's gonna fall."

"She'll be fine."

"She's falling."

Jaune finally worked his way out of the tree and looked up to see Weiss's descent. He quickly threw out his arms and backed up, allowing her to collide with him.

"Just dropping in?" He groaned in pain.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "My hero."

"Are you all right?" Jaune looked up to see Pyrrha approaching, having escaped the deathstalker.

Jaune nodded, "I'm good. Aura's pretty awesome!"

Everyone paused as the Deathstalker let out a loud shriek. Ruby smiled eagerly. "I've got this!"

She fired a smoke round in the Deathstalker's face and began running forward.

"Ruby, wait!" Yang called out as her sister charged.

The girl's charge was interrupted when a flurry of petals fell around her. She dodged, only to be knocked back by the Deathstalker.

"D-don't worry! Totally fine. Ruby struggled to her feet, only for a feather to pin her cape to the ground.

"Ruby! Get out of there!" Yang tried to push her way through some feathers to get to her sister.

"I'm trying!" Ruby called back, finally pulling her cloak loose but tripping. She looked up and paled as the Deathstalker loomed over her.

Ruby braced herself for the stinger and then waited a moment longer when she suddenly felt a hand grab her by the hood.

"Come on! Get up. We have to regroup!" Ruby opened her eyes to see she was being led back to the ruins by Weiss. She turned to see the Deathstalker with its tail frozen in rapidly cracking ice.

She quickly picked up the pace as the Nevermore's feathers began to fall again, and within moments she, Weiss, and Yang were back with the group by the ruins, where Weiss rounded on her.

"You are so childish! _And_ dim-witted, _and_ hyperactive, and don't even get me started on your fighting style." Ruby saw Yang begin to retort for Ruby, only to be stopped by Blake. "And I suppose I can be a bit... _difficult_... but if we're going to do this, we're going to have to do this together. So if _you_ quit trying to show off, I'll be... _nicer_."

Ruby grew sheepish because of her audience but mumbled back, "I'm not trying to show off. I want you to know I can do this."

Weiss's eyes softened, "You're fine."

Yang's sisterly instincts finally overpowered her as she shoved Weiss aside and proceeded to crush Roby's spine with a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Look," Jaune called, "This is all very heartwarming, but that deathstalker's almost loose, and we've got a Nevermore overhead. Whatever we're gonna do, we need to do it now."

Weiss was the one with the answer, "Look; there's no sense in dilly-dallying. Our objective is right in front of us."

"She's right." Ruby agreed as she took a knight piece and handed the second earpiece to Weiss. "Our mission is to grab an artifact and make it back to the Cliffs. We can't fight the nevermore in that field, and that deathstalker will tear these ruins apart."

Jaune nodded as he took a Rook, "so we grab the relics, and head back to the cliffs, keeping to the trees."

"But if a chance to take one or both of them down presents itself, we should take it," Ren added.

"Then, let's move!" Pyrrha called.

* * *

The group moved out and fled towards the cliffs. The trees managed to keep them somewhat protected from the Nevermore, though the Deathstalker remained relentless. Finally, they approached Beacon Cliff, finding a massive gorge with an old bridge leading across it.

As the group hurried across the bridge, the Nevermore swooped down at the group, and Ren and Pyrrha dove back as the others picked up the pace. The Nevermore crushed the bridge, taking Blake with it. She quickly threw her kusarigama into the rock wall and swung through the air, using her momentum to land on the bridge portion nearest the cliffs while Pyrrha and Ren turned towards the Deathstalker.

Jaune and Nora turned to observe their partners in battle.

"Ren!" Nora frantically called.

"I'm alright, Nora!" Jaune heard in his earpiece.

"Ren, this is Jaune, can you hear me?"

"Little busy here!" was the retort.

He turned to Nora, "I guess that makes us a team."

Nora smiled. "Let's get over there and help our team out!"

Jaune peered down at the abyss below. "Yeah, but, uh... I can't make that jump."

Nora's smile turned mischievous, and she pushed Jaune back away before leaping into the air, smashing the opposite corner to Jaune, sending him flying, then mounted Magnhild and launched herself at the Deathstalker, bringing a powerful blow down on its carapace.

* * *

Meanwhile, Yang looked about for her partner, "Blake, are you okay?"

Blake tapped her earpiece as she landed. "I'm alright, Yang."

"Hey, it looks like we're on the same frequency!" Came Ruby's excited chirp.

"Would you focus already?!" was Weiss's annoyed cry.

Blake would have scowled at the prospect of teaming with a Schnee had the Nevermore not sent a powerful gust of wind at Ruby, which sent her colliding into Blake, dazing both of them.

Yang tried to distract the creature by leaping into its beak and firing four shots down its throat before retreating, buying Ruby and Blake some time to recover, but Ruby once more was too slow, and another flurry of feathers flew at her. She flinched but was yanked away by a cord around her waist. One feather struck her and drove made her aura flicker, but she still avoided the worst of the attack.

Blake gave her a nod as she cast her line again, and inspiration struck.

"I have an idea," she called into her earpiece.

* * *

Jaune turned his attention back to the Deathstalker as he felt the bridge beneath him begin to shift. "We gotta move!"

His team rushed forward, but Jaune got himself hit in the gut by the stinger. "Someone take out its stinger!" Jaune called as he scrambled onto solid land.

Ren obliged as he leaped on and began cutting at the joint while Jaune and Pyrrha continued pushing forward, and Nora fired smoke grenades into its face. Pyrrha's Javelin flew into its eye, which caused it to begin flailing, knocking Jaune in the head, and throwing Ren off, who managed to land on his feet.

Jaune leaped onto the Deathstalkers back in a vain attempt to finish the stinger, but it threw him off, getting the wind knocked out of him, and getting struck by another pincer, driving his aura into the red.

"Pyrrha! Finish the stinger!"

She threw her shield and severed the stinger, which fell and impaled itself into the creature's shell.

"Nora! Nail it!"

"Gimme a boost?" Nora smiled at Jaune, who braced his shield with his shoulders. Nora launched herself off his shield, then launched herself down and smashed the stinger through the Deathstalkers torso, killing it.

* * *

Weiss fled back after she pinned the Nevermore's tail to the ground with a black glyph, while Blake and Yang positioned themselves on a pair of opposite pillars, Blake's chord between them.

Ruby positioned herself on the chord, gravity dust prepped in Crescent Rose, while Weiss's black glyph pulled her back.

"Of course you would think of something like this."

"Think you can make the shot?"

Weiss scoffed, "Can I?"

"… Can you-"

"Of course I can!"

Ruby flew through the air, launching herself with gravity dust, hooking the Nevermore's neck with Crescent roses blade. When her feet hit the wall, Weiss released the glyph holding the Nevermore's tail, then summoned White glyphs at Ruby's feet, leading up the cliff wall. She ran, continuing to push herself faster with Gravity dust, until she hit the top, and finally decapitated the Nevermore.

She looked down at her friends with a smile while Ozpin and Glynda observed with impressed looks on their faces.

* * *

Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark. The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL, led by... Cardin Winchester!

The gathered students applauded the formation of the new team. Standing between Ruby and Blake, Weiss was looking around in confusion.

"Only two teams left. Where is he?!"

Ruby turned to her and tilted her head. "Who?"

"The Arc boy! He's from one of the most famous families of huntsmen in the world, how could someone so elite not pass initiation?!"

Ruby raised a brow. "Uh, Weiss…"

She was interrupted as Ozpin continued his announcement "…The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR. Led by... Jaune Arc!"

Jaune looked up in surprise, "Huh?"

"WHAT?!" Weiss cried out in shock while Yang burst out in hysterical laughter, and not in response to Jaune getting knocked down by Pyrrha's failed attempt at an encouraging shoulder bump.

"And finally: Blake Bellamy. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long."

Weiss shook off her surprise, and Yang stifled her laughter as the four girls stepped forward. "The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY. Led by... Ruby Rose!"

Weiss looked to Ruby in surprise and outrage while Yang hugged her.

"I'm so proud of you!"

Ruby smiled but avoided eye contact with everyone as they went to join the rest of their classmates while Ozpin stepped in front of the students once more.

"Congratulations to all of you. The 48 of you have proven yourselves worthy of this academy. But all of you must know that it will only get more difficult from here. We intend to train the best huntsmen and huntresses in all of Remnant at this academy."

As he spoke, Every scroll in the auditorium began to ring with a sent message.

"You are all being sent messages on your scrolls. These will inform you of your team, partnership, and individual rankings, as well as the rankings of your teammates. These rankings are based on your performance in primary academies, the entrance exams, and your performance during initiation."

The students began checking their rankings. The rankings showed overall rankings, but also rankings for each subject, including combat, combat theory, survival skills, history and world events, infrastructure and emergency response, and Grimm studies.

Weiss smiled as she found that she was ranked #2 out of 48 in combat. No surprise there, Pyrrha was obviously going to take the #1 spot. She blinked in surprise, however, when she found herself #2 in theory, history, and Grimm studies had her as #2 as well. Who had outranked her there?

"Check it out, Ren!" Nora whispered happily to Ren and showed him something on her scroll "Jaune's #1 in everything but combat, and Pyrrha's #1 in combat! We got the strongest and the smartest people in the class on our team!"

Weiss felt her eye twitch in growing frustration while Jaune scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"I want you all to pay close attention to these rankings, particularly your combat scores." Weiss looked back to Professor Ozpin. "As you all know, at the end of the second semester, Vale will be hosting the Vytal Festival, including the Vytal Festival Tournaments. Three combat tournaments are available to first years, one for four-person teams, one for partnerships, and one for individuals."

Students began murmuring in excitement before he continued.

"However, I'm sure you must also know that not all of you will be permitted to participate. We will only accept those in the top combat rankings into the competition, the top four teams, the top eight partnerships, and the top sixteen individuals."

Weiss looked back down to her team's ranking. #6 out of 12. She quickly checked her team's rankings. Yang was #3 in combat, Blake #6. She felt her anger growing even more as she found Ruby's ranking. #47 of 48.

She looked over the rest of Ruby's stats. She wasn't in the last place of any individual subjects, but none of her rankings went below #40. All of this piled up to leave her partner, her leader, in dead last overall.

* * *

After the ceremony, Yang hurried down the hall. She'd given Ruby a reassuring hug after she'd seen her rankings and told her to get some rest so they could figure out what to do tomorrow. But now she was frowning in frustration as she pursued the headmaster.

She caught him just as he was heading into the elevator. "Are you trying to break my little sister?!"

Glynda prepared to reprimand the girl, but Ozpin waved her down.

"Ruby's got enough catching up to do as it is, and now you want her to lead a team?! What do you want from her?!"

Ozpin looked at her with impassive eyes. "Your sister has a lot of catching up to do in a short amount of time. The easiest way to do that is to push her harder than anyone else. This is for her benefit."

Yang looked at him with suspicion, "Why? What do you want with her? Why are you and my dad so convinced that she needs to be here? Is she in danger? Did she make an enemy of Torchwick or something?"

Ozpin considered for a moment, "I'm not sure. I hope not, but we're taking precautions."

Yang shook her head in frustration. "I know a thing or two about strength training. If you put too much weight on too fast, people get crushed."

Ozpin smiled gently as he turned back to the elevator. "I wouldn't have given your sister this responsibility if I didn't think she could handle it. And she has you, doesn't she?"

* * *

Jaune Arc stepped out onto a rooftop, frowning down at his rankings. He'd ranked number one in every subject except combat. In that area, he was #48. Which meant his team was only #5 of 12, and his partnership was #9 of 24. He had to get better for his team's sake.

He began swinging Crocea Mors clumsily.

* * *

Roman Torchwick emerged from another successful robbery to find himself face to face with two Faunus.

"Oh great," he muttered, "reinforcements."

"You've done well so far, Mr. Torchwick." Said the tall one with the fox tail.

"But with our additional manpower, it's time for some bigger targets," Finished the shorter brother with the fennec ears.


	6. The Badge and The Burden

Weiss's internal clock woke her at 7:00 before any alarms could go off in the room. She rose pleasantly, ready for what she hoped would be a successful first day of classes.

Suddenly, a whistle went off in her ear and shook her from those thoughts.

"GOOOOOOD MORNING, TEAM RWBY!"

"What is wrong with you?!"

Ruby continued to bounce around the room in excitement. "Now that you're awake, we can officially begin our first order of business!"

"Excuse me?" Weiss looked up to see that Yang and Blake were also awake, Yang's arms full of what looked like junk while Blake was pulling books out of her suitcase.

"Decorating!" Yang called out, just as enthusiastically as Ruby.

"We still have to unpack," Blake spoke over her shoulder, barely looking at Weiss.

Ruby gave another annoying tweet on her whistle. "Aaaalright! Weiss, Blake, Yang, and their fearless leader Ruby have begun their first mission! Banzai!"

Yang joined Ruby in the "Banzai" while Weiss rolled her eyes but got to work unpacking.

An hour later, it became evident that there wasn't going to be enough room for everything between Blake's books, Ruby's tools, and Weiss and Yang's stuff.

Weiss finally spoke up, "This isn't going to work."

Yang shrugged, "Maybe we should ditch some of our stuff..."

Ruby noted that she might have to move her workstation and tried to think of another solution "Or we could ditch the beds... and replace them with bunk beds!"

Weiss looked at her incredulously, "Where would we get bunk beds?

Ruby beamed, "They're just two beds on top of each other, right?"

Weiss raised her brow. "Umm, that sounds incredibly dangerous."

Yang pumped her fist. "And super-awesome!"

Blake shrugged, "It does seem efficient."

"Well, we should put it to a vote!"

Ruby chuckled. "I think we just did."

Many minutes later, the room had two beds stacked precariously on top of two more beds and held up by rope, sheets, and books that Blake wasn't planning on reading any time soon.

"Objective: Complete!" Ruby called out cheerfully, "Allllright! Our second order of business iiiiiiiis...Classes. Anybody know when our first class is?"

"History at 9…" Weiss froze as she and the rest of the team looked up at the clock, which read 8:55.

"To class!" Ruby stammered in embarrassment as Weiss rushed out the door.

* * *

Team JNPR was just preparing to enter the classroom when Weiss shot right past them, followed swiftly by the rest of their team.

"Welcome, students!" Said the Green-haired man at the front of the room at rapid speed.

"My name is Doctor Oobleck, and I will be your history teacher for this semester! Some of you may be wondering what use this class could serve for future huntsmen and huntresses such as yourselves."

As the professor took a sip of what Weiss hoped was coffee, she quickly prepared her notebook and pencil for note-taking, figuring this man had no intention of slowing down. She gave a glance to see who else was taking notes. Blake, Ren, and Pyrrha were all equally prepared to take notes, while Nora already seemed to be spacing off, while Yang at least seemed to be trying to follow the professor. Weiss was a little surprised to see Jaune also taking notes, though he probably felt the need to step up due to his leadership role.

"The fact is, those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. As huntsmen, you must learn from the past and apply the lessons learned, both in battle and how you present yourselves publicly. And in this course, we are less focused on memorizing dates and more focused on events and people and striving to learn from them and either replicate or avoid their successes or failures, respectively."

As Oobleck once again paused for coffee, Weiss glanced in Ruby's direction and was infuriated to find her staring off into space while balancing a pencil on her finger.

"And we mustn't recognize just the importance of distant history, but recent history as well. Who can name some heroes from recent history, even those who may be living today?"

In response, a few students called out names like "Belladonna," "Ozpin," and "Arc." Jaune quietly said, "The Woman in Red." Cardin Winchester called out "General Lagune," drawing glares from several of his classmates. Weiss almost called out her grandfather's name but decided to be a little less predictable.

"James Ironwood."

There were several nods of accent, except for team CRDL.

"Ironwood's nothing but a traitor!" Cardin called, "If he hadn't failed the crossing of The Mistral Mountains, General Lagune would've won the Faunus War. Knowing that animal lover, he probably failed it on purpose. And now he acts like some bigshot despite being half a man, letting animals into his army."

Weiss was once again surprised when Jaune turned around in his seat to face Cardin. "General Ironwood may not have agreed with Atlas's stance in the Faunus Rights Revolution, but he never lost a single battle before the crossing. For better or worse, he was a patriot who did his duty. And unlike your precious General Lagune, his only war crime was being on the wrong side. And now he's one of, if not the most important men in Atlas, if not the world. Definitely the commander of the most powerful military."

Dr. Oobleck interrupted Cardin's rebuttal. "That's enough, Mr. Winchester. You are entitled to your opinion, but we will be speaking after class about your derisive language. I remind you that you share this class with at least one Faunus."

A girl with sunglasses gave her bunny-eared teammate a reassuring pat on the back, and Dr. Oobleck continued to make a point about the importance of what makes memorable historical figures. At the same time, Weiss privately acknowledged that Jaune was decently knowledgeable.

Weiss once again glanced at Ruby, who seemed to be doodling in her notes. "Maybe I should've joined 'Team Jaune,'" she muttered furiously.

* * *

Weiss found these thoughts reinforced in their next class, "Survival." The teacher was a tiny Faunus woman with mouse ears, hiking clothes, and hiking boots. On her desk in front of the class was a familiar backpack. Jaune pointedly avoided looking at it.

"Good morning, class, I am Professor Peach!" The mousy woman announced as everyone took their seats. "Before we begin, this pack was recovered from the Emerald Forest after initiation. Would the owner please step forward to claim it?"

Jaune kept his head bowed as he crossed the room to do as instructed, while several students snickered at his embarrassment. As he reached for it, Professor Peach placed a hand on it.

"How heavy is this pack, Mr. Arc?"

"A little under 60 pounds."

"What's in it?"

"Sleeping back, tent, mess kit, food, water…"

"How much food and water?"

"Enough for about five days."

More snickers came up, but the professor shot them all a glare, and they went silent.

"What are you all laughing at? If that initiation had lasted two or three days, you all would have likely spent those days cold, tired, and hungry, while Mr. Arc and his partner and teammates would've been comfortable, well-fed, and well-rested. They very well may have been the only team to pass."

Weiss shifted uncomfortably in her seat, while Cardin Winchester rolled his eyes in the back of the class.

"We didn't tell you how long the initiation would last and what to expect. You all got very lucky, and next year, I intend to encourage Ozpin to make the initiation a multi-day mission."

"This class isn't just about roughing it and living off the land and your wits alone. The most critical aspect of survival is preparation, and right now, I suspect that Mr. Arc is the only one of you who has prepared sufficiently.

She gave Jaune a firm pat on the shoulder. "I hope you don't mind, Mr. Arc, but I took the liberty of emptying the pack and photographing its contents."

She pulled up a projection and began going over the contents featured in the picture while Jaune headed back to his seat, still looking embarrassed and trying to ignore the mutters of "teacher's pet" that came from the back.

* * *

The rest of the day went on similarly. Infrastructure and Emergency response felt a lot like shop class and would include carpentry and courses in farming. Combat theory involved studying different battle scenarios and figuring how best to respond to them.

Jaune continued to excel, though he also grew more uncomfortable at the continuous praise, and Ruby didn't even seem to be paying attention, making Weiss more and more furious.

Finally, it was time for combat practice. Jaune's face paled significantly when Goodwitch called up his team to participate in the spar, and Team CRDL immediately volunteered to be their opponents.

"So, what's the plan?" Nora asked, "Divide and conquer?"

"Well…" Jaune stammered, "it might be better if we stuck with partnerships. You and Ren know each other pretty well."

"But you and Pyrrha don't." Ren supplied, "at the start, at least the two of you should stay divided until you have a better feel for each other's fighting styles."

Jaune began to sweat profusely.

"Don't worry," Pyrrha supplied with a smile, "I'll come to your aid if you start to get into trouble."

Jaune took some comfort in that. "All right, Ren and Nora take Russel and Cardin, and try to work together if you can, Pyrrha takes Sky, and I'll take Dove."

"Everyone ready?" Goodwitch asked.

"Ready!" Jaune called in what he hoped was a confident voice.

"Then begin!"

While Jaune and Pyrrha engaged Dove and Sky respectively, Nora fired grenades at Cardin and Russel (who Jaune had correctly deduced already had a good rapport going), which threw up a smokescreen that Ren fired into, hoping to disorient and damage their enemies. Russ and Cardin took some damage but continued the charge, Russ launching himself out of the smokescreen in a ball of energy, drop-kicking Ren before he could react, and was followed by Cardin, who brought a mighty blow into her side. Ren recovered and got his blades around to combat Russel's, proving himself the more agile blade man, while Nora shifted Magnhild into its hammer form and brought it down on Cardin's guard, driving him to one knee before another blow knocked him to his back. Russel quickly retreated and landed a substantial attack on Nora, which Cardin followed up on with a swing to her side.

Ren dove into the fray to help his teammate, delivering several powerful blows to the two, before ducking as Nora sent Russel flying with a sweep of Magnhild, leaving Cardin temporarily alone against the duo's onslaught.

Suddenly, the buzzer sounded. The audience looked up at the scoreboard in surprise. Barely 30 seconds had passed in the match so far. Ren and Dove's auras were still green, Pyrrha's was full, Nora's and Cardin's were leaning slightly towards the orange, Sky and Russel were in the orange, and… Jaune's aura was in the red. Judging by Dove's aura, Jaune had barely landed a single blow and a lucky one at that.

Before Ren and Nora could process how Jaune had lost so quickly, they were set upon by three members of Team CRDL. Russel recovered and assaulted Ren viciously, driving him and Nora apart, giving Cardin time to land another hit on her, which Dove followed up with a flurry of blows that sent the poor girl into the red. Ren tried furiously to avenge his childhood friend and landed a few blows on Dove, but Russel and Cardin quickly overwhelmed him and shattered his aura in a matter of moments. Not even a minute had passed, and Team JNPR was already down to its last member.

Before the trio of boys could begin to celebrate, Sky was thrown into the four of them, his aura barely remaining in the orange, while Pyrrha's remained untouched. The champion regarded the team of four with a look of bitter fury at seeing her teammates defeated.

Russel spun through the air at her, and she deflected him with her shield, before she delivered two rapid and brutal strikes to his abdomen, with her lance form, driving his aura into the red. The Cardin and Sky rushed to avenge their comrade while Dove fired on her from a distance, but she weaved through the blows with ease and tossed Milo at Dove to throw him off. She quickly turned back and spun her lance form in a complicated maneuver that Cardin barely managed to deflect, though Sky wasn't so lucky, having his aura knocked out.

Cardin and Dove attempted to rush her from multiple ends, but she spun her lance in a complicated, sweeping maneuver that caused Dove to flinch back and struck Cardin, slowing him long enough for her to be facing the two again. Cardin was so furious he knocked out his last remaining teammate when he swung his mace back and prepared to charge Pyrrha. She evaded his blow and performed a gorgeous maneuver that sent him flying into the air, and then leaped after him, catching his neck with her lance's handle, and then driving him back to earth with a spin, forcing him to the ground with a crash, ending the match.

"Well done, miss Nikos" Professor Goodwitch was unreadable at the moment. "This match is a fine example of the positive and negative impact that a single person can have on their team. On the one hand, one person can pull their team from the brink of defeat."

She gestured at Pyrrha.

"But if a chain has even one weak link, then the entire chain is compromised" She glared at Jaune, who hanged his head in shame and humiliation. "I certainly hope you don't plan to rely on Miss Nikos for everything, Mr. Arc."

Cardin chuckled at the blonde's misery, ignoring Goodwitch's notes for him and his team while Pyrrha and Nora gave Jaune reassuring pats on the shoulder, and Ren remained impassive.

In the bleachers, the rest of Team RWBY continued to express sympathy for Jaune Ren and Nora while praising Pyrrha's talent, while Weiss had once again begun to seethe. Any respect she'd gained for Jaune throughout the day had evaporated completely.

"They made that klutz leader, but not me!?"

* * *

Weiss was livid by the time they reached the last class of the day, Professor Port's Grimm Studies.

Professor Port immediately went into a long-winded talk about Grimm and his apparent exploits. Weiss tried hard to stay awake, but Ruby continued to waste time, making doodles, balancing objects, making faces, and picking her nose (ew).

"So!" Professor Port called out, "Who among you feels you have what it takes to battle the creatures of Grimm?!"

Weiss's hand shot into the air, "I do, sir!"

She marched to the miniature arena at the front of the class and faced a rattling cage from which she assumed her opponent would soon emerge.

"Goooo, Weiss!" Yang cheered.

"Yeah!" Ruby cheered, "Represent Team RWBY!"

"Ruby!" Weiss reprimanded, "I'm trying to focus!"

"Ummm, sor- Look out!"

Weiss jumped as her opponent charged out at her while she was distracted. The Boarbatusk rolled across the room at her, and she barely had time to dodge and attempt a jab. Both combatants took hits, though the Boarbatusk hardly seemed to notice the thrust that struck its sides.

"Ho-ho!" Port called jovially, "Weren't expecting that were you?"

"Hang in there, Weiss!" Ruby called.

Weiss deflected the next charge and rushed in for a series of jabs, but they only seemed to penetrate the enemy.

"Weiss!" Ruby called, "Go for its belly! There's no armor underneath-"

Weiss finally snapped, "STOP TELLING ME WHAT TO DO!"

Unfortunately, Weiss's anger once again left her open to an attack, this time costing her Myrtenaster. Thinking fast, Weiss summoned a white Glyph under the Boarbatusk to send it into the air and Dove for her weapon. The Boarbatusk landed on it's back, and she launched herself into the air with a white Glyph, then summoned another to plunge her blade into the boarbatusks belly, finishing it off.

Weiss scowled down at her aura meter. She'd barely fallen into the orange after that second blow.

"Bravo! Bra-vo!" The professor called while the rest of the class gave mild applause as the bell rang, signaling the lesson's end. "I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and... stay vigilant! Class dismissed!"

Weiss didn't even look at Ruby as she gathered her things and marched out.

* * *

"Weiss!" Ruby called after her partner as she headed down the hall away from class.

Weiss turned around furiously. "What?"

"What's wrong with you? Why are you being-?"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? And Jaune?!

Ruby frowned and grew slightly defensive at the mention of Jaune. "What's Jaune got to do with this?"

"You two are supposed to be leaders, and all you've been so far is a nuisance and dead weight! You've done nothing to earn your position! Back in the forest, you acted like a child, and you've only continued to do so!"

"Weiss, where is this coming from? What happened to all the talk about 'working together'? I thought you believed in acting as a team."

"Not a team led by you. I've studied and trained. And quite frankly, I deserve better. Ozpin made a mistake."

Weiss continued to storm off, leaving Ruby feeling terrible.

"Hmm... Now that didn't seem to go very well."

Ruby spun around to see Professor Ozpin standing behind her. Usually, she would've been nervous, but instead, she hung her head in shame, once again feeling a wave of uncertainty and being overwhelmed.

"Is she right? Did you make a mistake?"

Ozpin smiled kindly at her, "That remains to be seen."

* * *

Jaune continued to sulk as he roamed Beacons halls, trying to work out his thoughts when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Mister Arc!" came the rapid greeting of Doctor Oobleck

"I appreciated your contributions to the discussion in my class today!"

"Oh," Jaune stammered, "Thank you."

"It was quite heartwarming to hear your kind words for General Ironwood considering his history with your father during the Faunus Rights Revolution!" the Doctor smiled warmly as Jaune shrugged.

"Dad believed it was important not to vilify people just because they were on opposite sides of a conflict. He said 'you never know what they're really fighting for.'"

Oobleck pondered and smiled, "I would expect no less from a long line of veterans like yours. I dare say many of your ancestors have been present at the making of history!"

Jaune felt himself become even more depressed at the mention of his family's history but tried to keep his smile, only slightly succeeding.

"But don't let that burden weigh you down," Oobleck offered kindly "we all have an important part to play in the making of history, and I'm sure yours will be just as significant as anyone else's, no matter how small it may seem at first."

He then sped off. Jaune was sure that he didn't mean to make him feel worse, but he couldn't help but feel even more down as he headed up to his balcony to train. He didn't notice that he had a tail.

* * *

"Professor Port!" Weiss ran up to the professor who was standing out at Beacon's courtyard, pondering the sunset.

"Ah, Miss Schnee! And to what do I owe this fine pleasure?"

"I... I enjoyed your lecture!"

Port smiled slightly. "Of course you did, child; you have the blood of a true Huntress in you."

"You really think so?"

"Most surely!" He noticed the slight hesitance in her look. "Hmm... Something's troubling you."

"Yes, sir..."

"Dear girl, confess to me your strife!"

Weiss straightened up as she made her case. "Well... I-I think I should have been the leader of Team RWBY!"

Port raised a brow and gave a knowing grin beneath his mustache. "That's preposterous!"

* * *

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, confused.

Ozpin persisted. "I mean, it's only been one day. Ruby... I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet. But at this moment, I would not consider yours or Mr. Arc's appointments to leader to be one of them. Do you?"

* * *

"Excuse me?!"

Professor Port continued, "I've believed in Professor Ozpin for many years, and the man's never once led me astray!"

Weiss stamped her feet. "So, you would just blindly accept his decision even after seeing how exceptional I am?"

The large man leveled a severe look down on her. "With all due respect, your exceptional skill on the battlefield is matched only by your poor attitude."

"How dare you!"

"My point exactly. I see a girl before me, who has spent her entire life getting exactly what she wanted."

Weiss felt her anger boiling slightly. "That's not even remotely true!" He hesitated as the professor raised a brow, "Well... not entirely true."

* * *

"Being a team leader isn't just a title you carry into battle, but a badge you wear constantly. If you're not always performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give others to follow you?"

Ruby shuffled her feet. "What if I'm not the leader my team needs me to be?"

"You're not." Ozpin chuckled at Ruby's surprised look. "If you were already the huntress and leader you needed to be, you wouldn't need this academy. But I would not have invited you to this academy if I didn't think you could become the huntress you need to be."

* * *

"So the outcome did not fall in your favor. Do you really believe that acting in such a manner would cause those in power to reconsider their decision? So instead of fretting about what you don't have, savor what you do. Hone your skills, perfect every technique, and be not the best leader, but the best teammate you can be."

Weiss smiled slightly at the encouragement.

"Miss Rose is being buried under a mountain of challenges and burdens. As her partner, are you going to add to them or help her overcome them?

"You've been burdened with a daunting responsibility, Ruby. But I truly believe that with help, you can shoulder it."

* * *

Pyrrha jumped out as Jaune seemed to be getting frighteningly close to the edge of the balcony. "What are you doing up here, Jaune?"

He looked back in surprise, "Oh, I was just coming up here to train."

"Oh, good!" She sighed in relief, and Jaune looked around before chuckling.

"I'm not that depressed, Pyrrha. I can always be a farmer or something."

Pyrrha's smile faded slightly. "You're giving up?"

Jaune sighed sadly, "I don't know, maybe? A few more matches like today, and I'll probably be kicked out of here before they even select people for the tournament."

Pyrrha smiled reassuringly. "Well, maybe I can help you! We can train together."

Jaune hesitated slightly. "Wouldn't be much training for you. I'd just slow you down."

"I don't mind!" Pyrrha said, "and I'm sure you're not that far behind! You made it to Beacon! That speaks volumes of what you're capable of!"

Jaune felt his guilt and frustration reaching its boiling point. "You're wrong. I-I don't belong here."

"That's a terrible thing to say! Of course you do!"

"No, I don't!" Jaune sighed as he looked her in the eyes. "I wasn't accepted into Beacon..."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I didn't go to combat school, I didn't pass any tests. I didn't earn my spot at this academy! I lied! I got my hands on some fake transcripts, and I lied!"

Pyrrha was shocked at this confession. "What? But... why?"

"Because this is what I've always wanted to be! My father, my grandfather, and his father before him were all warriors! They were all heroes! I wanted to be one, too." He then clenched his fists in resentment, "But my father refused to train me because of the peace, and I was never good enough to get into any combat schools."

Pyrrha persisted, "Then let me help you!"

Jaune hesitated. "You heard Goodwitch. I can't keep relying on you."

Pyrrha shook her head kindly. "I don't mind. I want to help you."

The two jumped as a small cough came from the doorway, and they turned to see Ruby watching them sheepishly.

"I can help too if you want. I'm not exactly leagues ahead, but I don't want you to get kicked out, Jaune. So maybe we can help each other."

Jaune kept the nervousness out of his voice as he felt the pressure building for him to accept help. "I appreciate that, Ruby."

"And umm…" Ruby started to shuffle slightly. "By 'help each other,' I mean, can you help me with my academics? I've pretty much got the Grimm and survival stuff down, but even if I wasn't two years behind, I'm terrible with history."

Jaune laughed, looking behind Ruby. "I think you might have that covered."

Ruby turned to see Weiss behind her. Weiss took a deep breath, remembering Professor Port's earlier advice, "Ruby, I think you have what it takes to be a good leader. Just know that I am going to be the best teammate you'll ever have!"

Ruby smiled.

"But even if you do know the 'Grimm stuff,' you still need to pay attention in class!" She added sharply, and Ruby started nodding rapidly.

"As for you," Jaune flinched when she turned to him, then sighed, "I guess your problems are your teams to resolve. If Pyrrha can put up with you, it's not my place to get involved."

Jaune smiled appreciatively. "Thank you."

Weiss then grabbed Ruby as they went to study.

"How do you take your coffee?"

"I... I don't..."

"Answer the question!"

"Uhh, cream, and five sugars!"

Jaune turned back to Pyrrha. He still felt reluctant, but he couldn't come up with a good argument.

He smiled uneasily and nodded, "Okay. Thank you."

Pyrrha beamed and started running him through some drills.

Unbeknownst to the partners, several other people had overheard them. Some downright hostile, one uncertain of how to react to what he'd just heard.

* * *

A couple of hours later, the pair finished their first training session. It had been tiring, but Jaune was starting to feel better. Pyrrha had left to work on homework, while Jaune did some cool off exercises.

"Oh, Jaune..."

Jaune jumped as the last voice he wanted to hear came from behind him. "Cardin!"

The auburn-haired boy climbed up to the balcony. "I couldn't help but overhear you from my dorm room. So, you snuck into Beacon, huh? I gotta say, Jaune, I never expected you to be such a rebel!"

Jaune felt his heart sinking, and his pride abandoning him. "Please, Cardin, please, don't tell anyone!"

"Jaune, come on! I'd never rat on a friend like that!"

Jaune backed away slightly. "A... a friend?"

"Of course!" Cardin wrapped his arm around Jaune's neck in a manner that might've seemed friendly if it weren't cutting off Jaune's ability to breathe. "We're friends now, Jauney boy! And the way I see it, as long as you're there for me when I need you, we'll be friends for a long time."

Jaune groaned as he began to see where this was going. "That being said, I really don't have time to do those extra readings Dr. Oobleck gave me today. Think you could take care of that for me, buddy?"

Jaune hung his head but nodded. "That's what I thought."

Cardin laughed, "But I won't be the only one benefitting here! My team and I will help you train in combat class. But do us a favor, and forget everything Nikos teaches you when you step into the arena with us."

He grinned cruelly as Jaune just stared. "Don't worry, Jaune; your secret's safe with me."


End file.
